Volume 1
Chapter 2 Part
3
Translator : PolterGlast
The sun was directly
overhead now, its rays far stronger than in the morning, slowly sapping our
energy.
At my suggestion that
we take a break, we visited a roadside station that had caught our eye. There
was apparently a shop and a dining area inside the building, but it was closed
today, so we decided to take a rest on a bench under the shade of a tree.
In front of us was a
vast parking lot, the epitome of the countryside, with two paved roads beyond
it. Beyond that, there was a dazzling blue sky and gently curved mountains.
"You probably
noticed," Hikaru said lazily, sitting on the bench. "I don't really
intend to run away. I know I can't escape. This is just a temporary
escape."
"Then how long do
you intend to run away?"
"Until the end of
August. I need time until then."
Seven days until the
end of summer. Hikaru seemed to be going to use this respite for something.
"By the way, I
came up with a game. Want to hear it?"
Hikaru wiped the sweat
from his forehead and said.
"A game?"
I was in the middle of
choosing a drink from the vending machine when I turned my head to look at
Hikaru, who was sitting on the bench.
A gust of wind ruffled
his bangs, and Hikaru lowered his eyelashes in annoyance. Yet, the slight
upward curve of his lips seemed like a pure emotion, as if he was enjoying
something.
"Yeah, a
game."
"What kind?"
"What kind,
huh?"
Hikaru brushed his
bangs aside with a graceful motion and fell silent as if thinking. I was a
little scared when his expression suddenly became blank.
"It's a little
inappropriate to call it entertainment, and it's too childish to call it a
mission, so it's a bad-taste game."
"Sounds fun, let me hear it."
With a clunk, a canned
drink was ejected from the vending machine. I picked it up and sat down next to
Hikaru on the bench.
I was completely
caught off guard.
Although he was an
acquaintance, he had killed someone just a few hours ago. In other words, his
thinking was beyond the scope of my imagination.
In the dappled
sunlight, with the sound of cicadas filling the air, Hikaru opened his thin
lips and began to speak slowly.
"From tomorrow
until August 31st, we'll kill one person each day, a total of seven."
With a hiss, the can
opened. Foam bubbled out, wetting my fingers that were still pinching the lid.
Without wiping it off, I stared at Hikaru.
"...We? So you
mean I have to kill someone too?"
When I said that,
Hikaru looked taken aback and then laughed out loud.
"You go straight
to that, huh?"
Watching him stroke
the corner of his eye humorously, I wondered if I should have first pointed out
that murder is a crime.
Before I could say
anything, Hikaru opened his mouth.
"Yes, the first
day is me, the second day is Rin, the third day is me. And so on, we'll kill
seven people."
"Are you
serious?"
"Of course I'm
serious."
"What the heck?
I'm seriously against that." I spat out.
Is he trying to
imitate a movie or a novel, after all? I tried to think of any novel with a
story like this, but nothing came to mind.
"Have you gone
insane after killing one person?"
I know he's not that
kind of person, but I wondered if a person's personality or preferences might
change before and after killing someone, since I've never killed anyone.
"This is
ridiculous. You brought me here just to play this murder game?" I said in
a deliberately contemptuous tone.
"That's right, I
brought you here to play this game with me."
"...Do you even
understand what it means to kill someone?"
Finally, at a loss, I
could only say something so common-sensical. In reality, I'm a person with a
normal sensibility, and I think that's the right thing to say. But I knew that
the right answer wasn't the one he was looking for.
He's testing me. To
see if I can give the response he's looking for.
I knew that he asked
me such questions from time to time, and I usually tried to respond to him as
much as possible. When I didn't know what to say, I would sometimes joke around
to annoy him.
But this time would be
different. Murder is out of my realm of understanding.
"I didn't expect
to be lectured on morality by Rin."
"Don't make fun
of me."
"Because I
thought you were an insane person."
"I thought you
were more sensible than this."
Natsuno Hikaru. The
school's most popular guy, God's greatest masterpiece with no flaws. He has
surprisingly gloomy hobbies, but he is also skillful enough to cover them up.
—He has a history of attempting suicide.
Even considering that,
I never thought he would suggest something so sinister.
"I'm not going to
play that game. I don't even understand what it's for in the first place."
"It's just a
spice. A simple escape story would be boring, wouldn't it?"
"So you just want
to play “getaway,” after all."
It is indeed an
interesting story to escape while killing people, instead of escaping after
killing people. He should turn himself in and write a novel about it after he
gets out of prison.
I didn't think Hikaru
was the type to confuse fiction and reality. I'm kind of disappointed.
"I'll tell you
this because you've probably gone off the rails after killing someone, but
murder isn't something you should do so casually."
"Why not?"
"Why, you
say?..."
How can he ask “why” for
such an obvious thing? I wanted to snap at him and say, “What are you, a
child?".
But what can I say to
persuade him? Saying that the victim's family will be sad, a textbook-like
answer, probably won't resonate with him, who killed his mother.
"If you kill
someone, you will certainly be arrested."
After hesitating over
my words for a long time, I muttered.
"Is that why you
don't want to?" Hikaru reacted immediately.
Of course, I don't
want to be arrested. Why does he look so puzzled?
Throwing the empty can
into the trash, I looked at Hikaru again.
"Being arrested
for murder would ruin my life. I don't want that."
If you kill a lot of
people, you'll get the death penalty. Even if, by chance, you don't get the
death penalty and can live a normal life after changing your face and name, you
won't be able to live the same life as ordinary people. Society is already
harsh towards crimes committed by teenagers, especially murder, which is often
featured in news programs and variety shows, ensuring it will never be erased
from people's memories.
"Life isn't a
movie, you should just turn yourselves in."
"What's the harm
in getting caught and having your life ended?"
I was finally getting
exasperated. Of course, there's a huge problem.
"Like I
said,..."
After saying that
much, I stopped there.
—Huh?
Things that would be
troublesome if my life were over.
—What are they? My apathetic self. My indifferent
parents. Harassment from former friends. Gray days. Hikaru disappeared at the
end of summer.
The present was more
important to me than the future. Why?
Because I can't see
the future? Because there's no hope? Is there anything wrong with my life
ending like this?
I didn't want to think
about it.
My breathing
quickened. Sweat trickled down my back.
"It's summer,
right? You're eighteen, right? It's perfect for running away."
Those words alone made
no sense. Yet, it was strange how those words sank into my heart.
Eighteen years old,
summer. The season when boys and girls become adults.
A season when the
intense heat and the sound of cicadas blur everything.
My vision blurred.
It was like my brain
was being shaken, a terrible dizziness. Was this brainwashing by him?
"Hikaru…"
The summer sky and
mountains in the distance.
The boundary between
blue and green was distorted. And then, in a mirage-like vision, the events of
a few hours ago were replayed in my mind.
"Let's run
away."
Hikaru had said that.
What is he running
away from? What am I running away from?
—From this terrible situation. From a future with nothing.
I had no reason to
live. I convinced myself that it was normal. Because I wasn't dead, I just
lived as I drifted. What is the point of living by inertia and piling up the
days?
When I thought about
it in words, my vision shook even more violently.
Rather than living a
colorless future of maintaining the status quo, wouldn't it be better to be
with Hikaru? Wouldn't that be happier?
"You know how
they say, 'It's all summer's fault, right? That's it."
It was ridiculous.
However, I found the words strangely enticing, and I was incredibly drawn to
them. But―
"...I think I
should cool my head for a bit."
I said this to myself.
If I thought about it any further, I was afraid I would go completely insane.
---
I didn’t go home and
stayed at a business hotel. My parents probably wouldn’t notice even if I
wasn’t home. I was worried about whether a high school student would be allowed
to stay in a hotel, but to my surprise, I was given a key card for my room
without any trouble.
I sat on the bed,
hugging my knees. Of course, Hikaru and I were in separate rooms. We weren't
close enough to stay in the same room, nor was there only one room left in the
hotel by chance. Fiction and reality are different.
I lay down and closed
my eyes. Then I ruminated over what had happened today.
I had never thought
that I would kill someone in my life, and I didn’t think I ever would.
From tomorrow until
August 31st, seven days from now, we're going to kill a total of seven people.
It's ridiculous. It
couldn't possibly work, and murder is unthinkable.
However, I thought it
was very sensible that the killings would be done by August 31. Everything ends
at the end of summer. Live freely until the end of summer. That's so like him.
It's also impressive
that he set the period to seven days. It's definitely better to choose a week
that has a clear end, rather than an even number of days to emphasize equality.
I turned off the light
in my room and snuggled into the futon.
If I had to kill
someone, what if, no matter what, I absolutely had to kill someone? Who would I
kill then?
I ruled out my parents
immediately. They were indifferent to me, but they never treated me harshly.
Indifference isn't the opposite of love.
So, a complete
stranger? That is a little disheartening too. Then it's either a death row
inmate or perhaps ― the person who has tormented me more than anyone else in my
life.
I pronounced her name
in my mouth.
Just before I fell
asleep, a faint light was already leaking from the curtains.
I had a dream. A
terrible dream.
In the dream, I was
holding a knife. Amid a tidal wave, I am confronted by "something,"
and my emotions are aroused and my voice is hoarse.
We exchanged words for
a while, and then I suddenly started running. When the "something"
was right in front of me, I thrust my knife into the center of the
"something". "Something" collapsed.
It was me who
collapsed. I was lying on my back with my eyes open, bleeding black blood from
the center of my chest.
The next moment, my
vision changed to that of the me who was lying down. My chest felt heavy, and I
had trouble breathing. Someone was standing beside me.
On the verge of death,
I used my last ounce of strength to raise my eyes.
Hikaru was standing
there.
August 25th.
When I woke up, it was
already past ten o'clock.
Check-out time is by
11:00 a.m. I had to get ready and go to the front desk as soon as possible.
I quickly sat up and
noticed something strange. There was a dry patch next to my face. It didn't
take long to realize it was a trail of tears.
It must have been a
pretty intense dream because my emotions must have been running high even while
I was asleep. It was not surprising that I shed tears.
After tidying myself
up a bit, I left my room and knocked on Hikaru's room next door. I couldn't
hear any noise from inside.
"Oh, you're up
already."
I heard a voice from
behind me. When I turned around, I saw Hikaru, who was already fully dressed.
"…………
Hikaru"
"It's unusual for
you since you always oversleep. Well, it's already ten, though."
"Where were
you?" I asked.
"I went to see
someone," Hikaru said in an oddly calm voice. "My father. My
stepfather."
A cold chill ran down
my spine. "Went to see" instantly translated into "killed."
The muscles in my body
tensed slightly as I realized once again that the man in front of me was a
murderer. I fixed my gaze on him, trying not to show my agitation.
"How?"
I asked out of morbid
curiosity. I regretted it a little after saying it out loud.
"Strangulation.
It's the easiest way, I think," Hikaru replied casually. "Tomorrow is
Rin's turn."
It was like a devil's
whisper.
Once I wandered over
to that sweet voice, I would never be able to walk the right path again.
This is just a game. A
game at the cost of people's lives. A twisted game that suits us twisted people
perfectly.
My life isn't worth
much. So I'm ready to give it all up.
—But even so, I'm not just a pathetic girl who would be
easily tempted by the boy in front of me and easily step down a dangerous path.
I decided for myself to follow Hikaru.
I want to be with him
more. I want to know him better. I want to engrave the existence of Natsuno
Hikaru in my memory during this remaining summer.
For that, my future
would be a small price to pay.
I took a small breath
and said quietly.
"It's going to be
a little far, but is it okay?"
Hikaru smiled
contentedly.
End of Chapter 2
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