say that the game will begin without any forbidden zones, but there is one exception: this school. Twenty minutes after your departure this school will become a forbidden zone. So please first get out of this area. Let's see, you must be two hundred meters away. Got that? Now, in my announcements I will also read off the names of those who have died in the past six hours. Each announcement will be made regularly at six-hour intervals, but I'll also be contacting the last remaining survivor by announcement as well. Oh…and one more thing. There is a time limit. Listen up. A time limit. A lot of people die in the Program, but if no one dies within twenty-four hours then your time's expired, and it won't matter how many students are left...."
Shuya knew what he would say.
"The computer will detonate the collars of the remaining students. There will be no winner."
Again he was right.
Sakamochi stopped speaking. The entire classroom had become silent. The room was still reeking with the heavy stench of Yoshitoki Kuninobu's blood. Everyone remained in their collective daze. They were scared, but this situation, where they were about to be thrown into a killing game, seemed beyond their comprehension.
As if responding to their general state of mind, Sakamochi clapped his hands. "Well, I've covered all the tedious details. Now I have something more important to tell you. A piece of advice. Some of you might be thinking that murdering your classmates is impossible. But don't forget there are others willing to do it."
Shuya wanted to scream, you're full of it! But with the Fumiyo-Fujiyoshi-executed-for-whispering incident only moments in the past he could only stay put.
Everybody remained silent, but something had suddenly changed and Shuya knew it.
Everyone was looking around, glancing at the others' pale faces. Whenever anyone's gaze met, their eyes would nervously turn toward Sakamochi. It only happened within a matter of seconds, but their expressions were exactly the same: they were tense and suspicious, wondering who was already ready to take part. Only a few, like Shinji Mimura, remained calm.
Shuya clenched his teeth again. You're falling into their trap! Think about it, we're a group. There's no way we can kill each other!
"All right then, I need to make sure you get my point. You'll find some paper and pencils in your desks."
Everyone timidly took out their paper and pencils. Shuya had no choice but to follow his instructions.
"Now then, I want you to write this down. To memorize something, it's best to write it down. Write this.
'We will kill each other.' Write it three times."
Shuya heard the pencils scribbling against the paper. Noriko too held her pencil, looking morose. While Shuya wrote out this insane motto, he glanced at Yoshitoki's body, which remained lying between the desks. He recalled Yoshitoki's warm smile.
Sakamochi continued, "Okay then. 'If I don't kill, I will be killed.' Write this down three times too."
Shuya also glanced over at Fumiyo Fujiyoshi. Her white fingers poking out of the cuffs of her sailor suit uniform gently formed a bowl. She was the nurse's aide. She was quiet but very caring.
Then he looked up at Sakamochi.
Fucking bastard, I'll stab you in the chest with this pencil!
40 students remaining
6
"Now then, let's see, every two minutes one of you will be leaving the classroom. Once you go through this door and turn right down the hall you'll find the school exit. You are to leave immediately. Anyone loitering in the hall will be immediately shot. Now, who do we start with? According to the Program rules, once we determine the first person, the rest of the order will correspond to your classroom seating assignments. Male, female, male, female, got it? Once we reach the last seat number, we start over from the first number. So…"
At this point, Shuya recalled that Noriko's seating number was 15. It was the same as his. Which meant that he and Noriko could leave almost
Shuya knew what he would say.
"The computer will detonate the collars of the remaining students. There will be no winner."
Again he was right.
Sakamochi stopped speaking. The entire classroom had become silent. The room was still reeking with the heavy stench of Yoshitoki Kuninobu's blood. Everyone remained in their collective daze. They were scared, but this situation, where they were about to be thrown into a killing game, seemed beyond their comprehension.
As if responding to their general state of mind, Sakamochi clapped his hands. "Well, I've covered all the tedious details. Now I have something more important to tell you. A piece of advice. Some of you might be thinking that murdering your classmates is impossible. But don't forget there are others willing to do it."
Shuya wanted to scream, you're full of it! But with the Fumiyo-Fujiyoshi-executed-for-whispering incident only moments in the past he could only stay put.
Everybody remained silent, but something had suddenly changed and Shuya knew it.
Everyone was looking around, glancing at the others' pale faces. Whenever anyone's gaze met, their eyes would nervously turn toward Sakamochi. It only happened within a matter of seconds, but their expressions were exactly the same: they were tense and suspicious, wondering who was already ready to take part. Only a few, like Shinji Mimura, remained calm.
Shuya clenched his teeth again. You're falling into their trap! Think about it, we're a group. There's no way we can kill each other!
"All right then, I need to make sure you get my point. You'll find some paper and pencils in your desks."
Everyone timidly took out their paper and pencils. Shuya had no choice but to follow his instructions.
"Now then, I want you to write this down. To memorize something, it's best to write it down. Write this.
'We will kill each other.' Write it three times."
Shuya heard the pencils scribbling against the paper. Noriko too held her pencil, looking morose. While Shuya wrote out this insane motto, he glanced at Yoshitoki's body, which remained lying between the desks. He recalled Yoshitoki's warm smile.
Sakamochi continued, "Okay then. 'If I don't kill, I will be killed.' Write this down three times too."
Shuya also glanced over at Fumiyo Fujiyoshi. Her white fingers poking out of the cuffs of her sailor suit uniform gently formed a bowl. She was the nurse's aide. She was quiet but very caring.
Then he looked up at Sakamochi.
Fucking bastard, I'll stab you in the chest with this pencil!
40 students remaining
6
"Now then, let's see, every two minutes one of you will be leaving the classroom. Once you go through this door and turn right down the hall you'll find the school exit. You are to leave immediately. Anyone loitering in the hall will be immediately shot. Now, who do we start with? According to the Program rules, once we determine the first person, the rest of the order will correspond to your classroom seating assignments. Male, female, male, female, got it? Once we reach the last seat number, we start over from the first number. So…"
At this point, Shuya recalled that Noriko's seating number was 15. It was the same as his. Which meant that he and Noriko could leave almost
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