《BIND GAME》 RABBIT 1: Apartment ???: ¡°Do you wish to move forward?¡± A voice bellowed from the depths of nothingness surrounding my stripped body. ???: ¡°The choices and sacrifices you¡¯ve made up until now have led you here. It is by your own hands have you claimed what you set out to.¡± ???: ¡°The fighting will never stop. Nor the pain, hatred, discrimination or anger.¡± ???: ¡°But the opportunity for hope, joy and love is stronger than before.¡± ???: ¡°Knowing this, do you wish to move forward?¡± ¡­The simple question held an obvious answer. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of a choice at this point, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to me I got this far, so I might as well indulge in my reward.¡± ¡°Otherwise, everything would¡¯ve been for nothing.¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve gotten help along the way, but I decided to be here. I can¡¯t hesitate any longer.¡± The voice echoed back. ???: ¡°Do you wish to move forward?¡± And I answered.
CHAPTER 1 RABBIT 1: Apartment
December 14th, 2022. I¡¯m leaving this note for you to find, Sadako-chan. I have a lot I need to get off my chest, but I¡¯ll keep it short since the day is almost through. You¡¯re busy, right? Too busy to deal with a nuisance like me, I¡¯m sure. Nevermind that, though. I just wanna tell you I¡¯m sorry about everything. I had no right to act the way I did. I was leading him on, and because of that he fell for me. I wasn¡¯t trying to, but it happened because of me. Neither you nor Hasuki-kun are guilty of anything. It¡¯s all my fault. I have no excuses, and I don¡¯t plan on explaining my side of things. It doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s done is done, and what¡¯s going to happen will happen. We all have to take responsibility for our actions. Including you, Sadako-chan. For the pain I¡¯ve caused these past few months, I¡¯ll bear my responsibility as I should, and leave you alone for good. With this, rumours are sure to stop spreading, right? Everything is written down in ink, after all. I¡¯m not going to tell anyone. You can score out anything that might paint you negatively. It¡¯s not my intention to do such a thing, but people will see what they want to see. You certainly did. And I can¡¯t blame you for that, because I had to play part in my own image. I¡¯m sorry for everything. I¡¯m sorry for taking what¡¯s yours, and I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time with this stupid pathetic letter. But please, forgive me after this. That¡¯s all I ask for from you, even though I don¡¯t deserve it. Please forgive me and forgive anyone who forgives me too. From your twin dragon, Ayamo. ¡­ The flickering light hanging from the ceiling had woken me, and I found myself in a cold, cramped environment surrounded by worn furniture, cheaply plastered walls and the scent of foreign air. I repositioned myself from my uncomfortable sleeping position, and placed my back against the closest wall, feeling the nicks of wallpaper tickling my skin. I gave myself a minute to adjust to my new surroundings, taking a deep breath; in, and out. I was in a small bedroom, sitting on a thick stained mattress lacking a backboard. Water dripped from the furthest corner of the ceiling, landing on the soggy carpet. When getting up, I scratched my forehead against a hook attached to a thin line, linked to the ceiling light. I tried pulling on it, but stopped once I realised the ceiling light would fall with it. The window to my right lacked curtains, only having raggedy blinds. I tried to get a good look outside the room, but found that a plate had been placed on the window, bolted shut. I slowly opened the door to the rest of the area, listening out for any sounds that could warn me of what was to come, but it was dead silent. I left the room, entering what seemed to be the living room of an apartment. A small kitchen was attached with no separation, and reeked of rust and rotten food. There was no silverware, and none of the devices were powered. A single cabinet to the sink was locked. The living room itself was modestly sized, with torn carpets sat under musty armchairs and a broken glass table. There was a small window ingrained in the wall to the right, but it was in the same situation as the bedroom¡¯s. Further exploring, I found a small bathroom with a cracked sink, dirty bathtub and unbearably disgusting toilet with no handle to flush. None of the taps worked either. There was a single other room in the apartment, seemingly a storage room, that refused to open. The door handle was broken beyond repair, but installed into the corners of the door were four noticeable screws. When attempting to push the door open, I noticed the centre of the was frail. The door leading outside the balcony in the living room was also tightly shut, with no means of getting it open. The same could be said for the door leading outside the apartment. A padlock was rigidly wrapped around the handle, preventing it from opening. If I had any interest in leaving this uncomfortable space, I would have to find the key to the padlock. I had an objective in mind - I just needed to figure out where to start. I spent the following fifteen minutes searching the apartment, until I noticed a shimmering light within the drain of the kitchen sink. I attempted to reach for what was inside with my hand, but couldn¡¯t reach it. After some deliberating on what could reach the item, I decided on the hook in the bedroom. I pulled it down while avoiding the falling ceiling light, which smashed heavily against the ground, removing the only source of light in the room. I carefully detached the hook, which I determined on closer inspection to be a fishing hook, and brought it to the kitchen sink. With that, and mild difficulty, I managed to retrieve the glimmering item. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. A key. I quickly moved to the front door, ready to insert the key¡­ until I realised the key hole was shaped far too uniquely for it to fit. I tried the storage keyhole too, but came to the conclusion that the handle was in too poor a state for it to work. My other memorable option was the kitchen sink drawer, which ended up working. The inside was dark, so I fumbled my right hand around in search of any unique shapes. I felt my hand glide across a dirty, metal shape, and pulled it out of the drawer. The dirty smell reeking from it reminded me of the toilet, and it seemed to be in the form of its missing handle as well, so I decided to try my luck on it. After inserting the toilet handle into the basin of the toilet, I decided to finally flush it - it¡¯s the least it deserved. Seconds later, I heard several taps against the bowl; metal pieces belonging to some sort of tool. I hesitantly removed the dark pieces and spent time outside of the bathroom piecing them together, forming a pitiful screwdriver. The storage door was in my next interest, and I carefully removed the screws keeping the door from falling to the carpeted ground. I moved out of the way before it could jump on top of me like the ceiling light had previously attempted, and entered the storage room. The room was very small, accompanied by a rattling sound emanating from the air vent, and lit only by the blue screen of a barely working laptop. Internet access wasn¡¯t available, though I didn¡¯t suppose it would be. A sticky note was attached to the back of the laptop, reading ¡°August 16th, 2000.¡± Of course, I had no idea what it meant, but I assumed it was some sort of password needed for the laptop. Though, there were no files, working apps or anything that would need a password to be entered. The rattling sound coming from inside the air vent had caught my attention, so I again used the screwdriver to open it and remove the item inside. Said item was a USB stick, which I then inserted into the side of the laptop. In a slow minute, a folder had opened on the laptop, but required a password to reveal its hidden contents. ¡°Six digits¡­ and I¡¯m guessing that sticky note is relevant in some way. Let¡¯s see¡­ Did anything special happen that day?¡± ¡°...Ah.¡± ¡­ ???: ¡°Amano-chan!¡± ???: ¡°A-ma-no-chaaan!!!¡± I turned behind, watching Sadako-chan as she rushed towards me with short sprints, her school bag flailing around her shoulder. Amano: ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± Sadako: ¡°Do you know what day it is?¡± Amano: ¡°Hmm¡­ let me think.¡± Sadako: ¡°Seriously?¡± Amano: ¡°Umm¡­ is it someone¡¯s anniversary?¡± Sadako: ¡°...Something like that.¡± Amano: ¡°A birthday, maybe?¡± Sadako: ¡°Yea-¡± Amano: ¡°Wait! No hints, no hints! I¡¯ve got this.¡± Sadako: ¡°...¡± Sadako-chan looked at me with eyes of disappointment, but also pity. It was clear today was a special day for her - yet I couldn¡¯t remember. This would happen commonly, since I didn¡¯t have the best memory. I was far too focused on club activities, which was an element of my suffering through both junior-high and high-school. Amano: ¡°Ah, today is Hasuki-kun¡¯s birthday, right?¡± Sadako: ¡°...I mean, it is, but¡­¡± Amano: ¡°Did you get him anything?¡± Sadako: ¡°E-Eh, why would I¨C¡± Amano: ¡°You like him, don¡¯t you?¡± Sadako: ¡°W-What?!¡± Sadako-chan blushed bashfully, looking to the floor beneath her as we gained distance on the school gates. Although she refused to admit it, it was obvious she held strong feelings for Hasuki-kun, the captain of the soccer club. The three of us had a strong relationship since childhood, having attended the same elementary school and junior-high. And yet, all this time, Sadako-chan refused to make any moves on him, and Hasuki-kun refused to notice her obvious feelings. Sadako: ¡°I¡­ might¡¯ve gotten him something. Maybe. Does it matter, though?!¡± Amano: ¡°No, just¡­ intriguing, is all.¡± Sadako: ¡°...What about you? Did you buy him a present?¡± Amano: ¡°Why would I buy that jackass anything? He¡¯s lucky I¡¯m even willing to talk to him after everything he¡¯s done.¡± Sadako: ¡°You mean after everything you¡¯ve done?¡± Amano: ¡°Hehe, that too.¡± Our conversations were always like this. We struggled and butted heads constantly, but we also shared laughs, lunchboxes and tea together. I didn¡¯t have anyone I was closer to, other than Hasuki-kun. And yet¡­ ¡­ ¡°Hasuki¡± I entered, but surprisingly to no avail. ¡°Seriously? Maybe I¡¯m overthinking this¨C¡± ¡­Idiot. I tried again, this time entering ¡°Sadako¡±. It was correct, and the folder inside had revealed its contents; a single jpeg image, which I opened using the over-used mousepad. The image was of a dark, dirty wallpaper, ripped to shreds with a distinct pattern. A pattern I recalled from earlier in the bedroom. I took a closer look at the bedroom¡¯s wallpaper, using the light from the laptop, and began tearing at the pieces leaning out, stripping the wall of its only colour. Eventually, I reached the wall where the bed¡¯s backboard should have been, and pulled on the prickly paper tickling my back earlier¡­ and a key fell out, padding against the carpeted floor. I quickly picked up the key and inspected its shape, determining it to belong to the padlock wrapped around the apartment¡¯s front door. Passing the bright blue screen of the laptop, I reached the door and inserted the key, twisting it, but to no avail. I tried the handle to check if it had worked, and it seemingly had, so I pulled it towards me. A token was pushed out of the deadlock of the door, landing with a heavy tap against the carpet underneath. I brought the object closer to my eyes, viewing the illustration embedded on it up close. A dragon, brustled between the gold. BIND GAME RABBIT 2: Hunting Ground CHAPTER 2 RABBIT 2: Hunting Ground
I struggle to connect with others, which is why my only relationships feel so passionate and important. If I lose them, then I lose meaning. I¡¯d die for the people I truly care about. But being too close to the light can blind you, and I struggled even more with that than loneliness. This tunnel vision prevented me from taking proper care of those who mattered most to me, and I ended up hurting them without even trying. I had to put effort into loving, but found it effortless to hurt. The same goes for myself. But I can¡¯t spend time thinking about that right now, since I¡¯ve completed the first instruction. I need to concentrate my thoughts on the next stage. I entered a drab and dreary hallway, connected to a dozen apartments. It was long and nauseating, dimly lit by the yellow hue from the fluorescent lights above. The noise level was sickly, with the sound of nonexistent cicadas plaquing the neverending halls. I placed my feet against the cold tiled floor, and anxiously made my way to one end of the hall. The doors to other apartments could be opened, but I had no reason to search inside, and strangely enough, there were no locks unlike the apartment I was inside. I was also nervous to run into other people, so I decided it would be best to let them run into me, and decide then whether or not I¡¯d like to approach them. That¡¯s when the smell of blood seeped in. The hallway was layered in fresh blood, from the floor, to the walls, to the ceiling. It took brief moments for me to pass by an open door, led by unnatural trails of blood. I couldn¡¯t muster the strength to go inside, but I could tell by the open bloody palm just barely in my sight that what was inside was not worth investigating. Before the realisation hit, I began to feel even more nauseous, and had to support myself by placing my hand against the apartment wall. I quickly returned my hand after feeling a warm liquid press against it. Before I could begin to collect my thoughts, I fell to the ground, my legs shaking like never before. I took deep breaths and began to pick myself up, before continuing further down the eternal hallway. After about four minutes, I had reached the elevators and staircase leading down. The windows leading outside remained blocked off, and the elevators themselves were nonfunctioning, so I began to descend down the stairs. The plaque on the stairway wall read 9. After descending down two flights of stairs, I heard a loud thud and whimpers from the floor below. I slowed my pace and peaked my head around the closest corner of the floor below to determine the source of the sound. In the distance, I bore witness to the gruesome sight of a girl laying on the ground, taking a severe beating with a heavy instrument; a wooden bat. I couldn¡¯t make out the assailant, as they were embedded in the darkness. With the attacker distracted, I quickly made my way down the remaining steps, before coming to a stop on the fifth floor. The stairs were blocked off by old broken furniture, and it seemed nearly impossible to push past them - and if I got stuck¡­ I began to lightly spring through the halls, hoping to find a second pair of stairs on the opposite side. The lights seemed to follow me, turning off as I passed them. The tiled floor was stuck to my feet as I attempted to bounce back up and reach the end. My heartbeat was unsteady, and I felt like I could collapse any minute from fear alone. But that failed to compare when I approached the stairway, as the silhouette of a bat, with liquid dripping from its end lowered down the stairs, being shadowed against the opposite wall directly in my vision. My pace began to slow and my heart sank. I need somewhere to hide¨C I was pulled to my left. Before I could look at what had grabbed hold of me, a subtle thud echoed and silence filled the gap. I was in a familiar room; an apartment. It was in the same state as the one I had woken up in, missing the smell of blood from the ones I didn¡¯t dare to enter. And at the end of the entry hall were four strangers, all staring daggers towards me, clearly stressed beyond normality. The closest to me, the one who had pulled me inside in the nick of time, was a boy below average height - slightly shorter than myself. He had thick, short pink hair that contrasted strongly with his bright blue eyes. The thick bang in the centre almost split his face in two parts, and a blue face mask covered his lips. I noticed a sharp piercing digging gently through his left eyebrow as well. He sported a dark, warm long-coat on top, covering a bright pink hoodie. His most noticeable feature however, was his feminine face¡­ I wouldn¡¯t deny him being cuter than me. Pink Haired Boy: ¡°Are you okay?¡± Amano: ¡°...Ah, yeah. Thanks.¡± I awkwardly dusted myself off, despite my clothes being relatively clean. I didn¡¯t know how to break the everbuilding tension in the room, but to this boy, it seemed like the easiest thing in the world. Konsako Akihi: ¡°My name¡¯s Konsako Akihi, it¡¯s nice to meet you. We¡¯ve got a small group formed inside here if you want to stay until things calm down.¡± Amano: ¡°Oh, sure¡­¡± His manner was polite, and his pitch high yet gentle. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Can I ask for your name?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Kobayashi Amano. Nice to meet you¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ahh, Amano-san, hm? That¡¯s a great name. I hope we can be good friends!¡± He wrapped his small hand around mine, gently holding it to reassure me that the deadly situation wouldn¡¯t get any worse. ???: ¡°Oi, would you get the hell away from the door already? Talk any louder, and that bastard will know we¡¯re in here.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah, sorry Daikubara-san.¡± The man Konsako-san named as ¡°Daikubara-san¡± was tall, likely six foot, and was fitted with long, wavy brown hair and an unshaven stubble. His eyes were a dark orange, partly hidden by the lens of the shades resting harshly on his thick nose. His outfit insinuates he worked as a mechanic, his overall appearance being very rough and dirty. The most unique aspect of his appearance were the three thick strands of hair standing atop his head. His voice was heavy and implied years of heavy smoking. He was clearly at least a decade older than us. Daikubara: ¡°Get the hell over here already.¡± Konsako-san and I moved to the furthest wall enclosing the living room, where the other three stood anxiously. Curious, I began to pry for information. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Excuse me¡­ what the hell is going on here?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Exactly what it looks like. That psycho rabbit bastard is hunting us down one by one, and if we¡¯re not careful, he¡¯ll kill all of us.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Fuck, I told you bringing more people in here would only mess things up, Konsako.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...But I couldn¡¯t just leave them outside! Besides, it¡¯s not against the rules, is it?¡± Daikubara: ¡°That¡¯s not the issue, dipshit. The more people here, the more likely the rabbit will know we¡¯re inside.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Rabbit?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Did you not get a close look at it, Kobayashi-san?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± Though, it¡¯s not as if I was trying to. Konsako Akihi: ¡°It¡¯s the Rabbit Devil. It¡¯s the one hunting us right now, I think.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Seriously?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Tsk. I knew that bastard was up to no good. The least he coulda¡¯ done was tell us exactly what we were in for to begin with.¡± Girl: ¡°But he basically did, right? In a subtle way.¡± The girl that had spoken up was the only other female in the group. She also seemed to be around my age, and had two thick auburn buns that shot up, holding two long strands of hair which nearly covered her forest-green eyes. She wore a college school uniform with a light weight jacket atop. I have to wonder how she hasn¡¯t frozen to death by now. Her voice was sharp and cold, with a hint of Kanto dialect. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re right, Michifuku-san, but¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°Subtle? Who the hell calls that subtle? He might as well have thrown us into a lion¡¯s den.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I guess it makes it easier for him to hunt us, whatever the case.¡± Konsako Aikihi: ¡°Kobayashi-san, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ How many bodies do you think you came across on your way here?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°E-Eh? Umm¡­ I think two, at most¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Which floors?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I think the ninth floor, and maybe the eighth? I can¡¯t really remember.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mm. That¡¯s three confirmed, then.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°W-What?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Daikubara-san discovered two of the bodies, while Michifuku-san and myself discovered the other.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Three¡­ people? How many of us are there?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Twelve, we¡¯re assuming. The rabbit didn¡¯t give us much information, but going by what we know, it¡¯s most likely.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What backs that up?¡± Michifuku: ¡°There are twelve floors, and only one apartment in each floor has a unique lock, belonging to the apartments we had to escape from.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Also, you were the one of the last to escape the apartment room, so you didn¡¯t see it, but¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°There was a one-hundred and twenty-minute long timer on each floor. When that timer ended, all the doors to the apartments we were in unlocked. So anyone who hadn¡¯t yet escaped was able to.¡± Michifuku: ¡°And, once that happened¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°The rabbit was let loose. Anyone who hadn¡¯t already escaped their apartment and found a good hiding spot was as good as dead. You¡¯re damn lucky you even made it this far.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°The earlier you escaped the apartment, the more time you had to assess the situation and locate a decent hiding spot.¡± Konsako-san began to describe the order of events he and the other three suffered through in detail. ¡°After I got out of that room, I made my way to the first floor. I think there were around forty minutes left at that point on the timer, and none of us knew what it meant. I met Daikubara-san, Michifuku-san and a few others down there, and we struggled to open the front doors to the apartment. It looked as if we needed some sort of keycard, since the doors were blocked off similarly to the apartments.¡± ¡°We split up to look for the keycard, Michifuku-san and two others joined me, while Daikubara-san left with the other three.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when we found it, on the twelfth floor. The only apartment that was unique to the others. The rooms we woke up in had a specific keyhole you could spot from outside, whilst the regular apartments had a simple keyhole in comparison. That¡¯s why the door to that room was so noticeable.¡± ¡°There was no keyhole, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. That¡¯s when someone, I think Sakakibara-kun, mentioned the timer. He thought maybe once that timer ran out, we¡¯d be able to enter this room. Of course, some of us had second thoughts, debating that the timer¡¯s intentions could be malicious.¡± ¡°But, it didn¡¯t really matter. We already spent that much time looking around, and the only clues to getting out were the missing keycard, the unopening door and the timer - so our best bet was to just wait it out. And so we did. When the timer ended¡­ not even a moment passed before that door shot open.¡± ¡°Sakakibara-kun was first. Everything happened too fast for us to properly process; all I remember was a dirty bat striking him across the head, and his glasses falling against the ground¡­ he didn¡¯t even say a word. I just recall his fingers twitching as I began to back away.¡± ¡°Michifuku-san and the other person who was with me, Shiroito-san, and myself all ran for the staircase on the other end of the hall. It didn¡¯t take long for the rabbit to finish with Sakakibara-san, and they soon caught up to us. Shiroito-san must¡¯ve realised she wasn¡¯t going to outrun it, so she decided to take her chance by running into an empty apartment. We didn¡¯t see what happened, but after the rabbit followed her inside, unbearable screaming filled the halls¡­ and, I guess that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°The two of us hid in this apartment, and we haven¡¯t left since. That was about¡­ fifty minutes ago?¡± Konsako-san ended his disturbing explanations of events, leaving the rest of us in an uncomfortable silence. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Daifuku-san, what about you?¡± Daifuku: ¡°What about me?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The three people you were with, what happened to them?¡± Daifuku: ¡°Lost sight of two of them. The rabbit probably got them.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And the other person you were with¡­?¡± Daifuku: ¡°He¡¯s standing over there.¡± Daifuku-san jolted his thumb towards the darkly dressed boy standing against the kitchen counter. It was the first time he had looked towards us. Daifuku: ¡°Don¡¯t know his name, don¡¯t care to ask.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Konsako-san?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah¡­ He hasn¡¯t introduced himself to me either, I¡¯m afraid.¡± That was enough to convince me not to pry further, as the boy seemed to enjoy the comfort of his own. He had thin black hair which covered the top of his forehead, but didn¡¯t reach his eyes. A unique clip was attached to the right side of his hair, and attached to his earlobes were dark cross earrings. Like Michifuku-san, the boy wore a college uniform - though it was more of an open gakuran. He had a very delinquent appearance, but it argued strongly with his beautiful, deep blue eyes. Konsako Akihi: ¡°I assume you¡¯re up to date now, Kobayashi-san?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Mm. Thanks. I think I might¡¯ve lucked out by not figuring out that escape room sooner.¡± Daifuku: ¡°Be thankful you¡¯re thick, then.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Then, Kobayashi-san¡­ do you mind if I ask you something personal?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ah?¡± Konsako-san¡¯s flexible, innocent expression changed to a serious, intruding one. He opened his lips and asked the following question. Konsako Akihi: ¡°How exactly did you die?¡±
BIND GAME RABBIT 3: Route of the Rabbit CHAPTER 3 RABBIT 3: Route of the Rabbit
December 14th, 2022, 6.56 am. I died. I attended an insignificant university in Chiba¡¯s north, and always used the train to commute to and from. But for some reason, that morning, I decided to walk. Despite the distance from my apartment to the university being two and a half miles, I walked. Despite having no reason to, I walked. Despite it leading to my death¡­ I walked. I died saving a child. The man driving the white van speeding towards an elementary school-girl had likely passed out. Maybe he was drinking on the job, maybe he fell asleep due to tiredness and stress, or maybe he had a heart attack. I don¡¯t know. I never had the chance to find out. I moved towards the girl and pushed her out of harm¡¯s way, and that was the last thing I ever did with my measly, pathetic life. At the very least¡­ I died in service of something greater. I¡¯m sure my actions will scar that child for the rest of their life, but they now have the chance to do better. I wasted that chance. ¡­ Konsako Akihi: ¡°...I see. So you died saving that girl, then.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Kobayashi-san. Thank you for telling me.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...No, not really.¡± Everyone in the apartment was listening in, closed-mouthed. Konsako Akihi: ¡°December fourteenth, huh?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Mm?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I died in May, I think the third. And yet¡­ we¡¯re both here at the same time, with no filler in between.¡± Michifuku: ¡°That¡¯s cus¡¯ this place is the in between. We¡¯re not on earth, and we¡¯re certainly not in the afterlife. Though I don¡¯t really understand it.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Why did you need to know, Konsako-san?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡¯m trying to gather clues. Our information is annoyingly limited, and that Rabbit didn¡¯t give us much to chew on.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°At the very least, all of us participants have something in common; we died before coming here.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°If you¡¯re curious, I was pushed onto train tracks.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ah? P-Pushed? You mean murdered?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°O-Oh, no - nothing that serious. It was an accident - an accident.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I lived in the heart of Tokyo, and the shinkansen was always packed in the afternoon. I got pushed in by accident. I don¡¯t even know who did it, since I didn¡¯t even have time to look up after falling in.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°A-Ah, don¡¯t worry though! It didn¡¯t hurt. I think the fear killed me before the train even touched me, haha.¡± It¡¯s not really something to laugh about, but¡­ Konsako Akihi: ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve all been handed our cards. We¡¯re here to deal with them, now.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°The good thing is, we have something in common, Kobayashi-san.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Being dead?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°We were both hit by speeding vehicles. That, and we¡¯re the same age.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What age are you?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Twenty-one.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re a bit off, then. I¡¯m twenty-two.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah, seriously?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I appreciate the thought, though. I never realized I looked a year younger.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Why did you think I was twenty-one anyway?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s another clue I discovered.¡± Konsako-san smirked, clearly proud of his discovery. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Everyone in this room is a dragon.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...A dragon?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You were born in the year 2000, right? So were the rest of us, except Daikubara-san. He¡¯s an old man. But even then, he was born in 1988. The previous year of the dragon.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I see¡­ so we were all born in the year of the dragon.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Which means I might be older than you!¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°March 30th, 2000.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°G-Geh¡­ nevermind.¡± Michifuku: ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence. Each of us being born in the year of the dragon, not to mention those dragon tokens we all got from our rooms.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I got one of those too.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Do you have it with you?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Mm. I¡¯m not sure what it¡¯s for, though.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Neither. But all of us are carrying one.¡± Michifuku: ¡°As for the ones that died and the ones that aren¡¯t here, I can¡¯t be sure.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Those things might come in handy later, so don¡¯t damn-well lose them. We might have to grab them from the corpses, too.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Sounds like fun.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Well it¡¯s clear everything is linked to the Chinese Zodiac in one way or another, right? With that rabbit and us.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Let¡¯s be thankful it isn¡¯t a dragon chasing us¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mhm. I can¡¯t be sure if everyone with us is also a dragon - I don¡¯t even know if the guy over there is.¡± Konsako-san was referring to the boy dressed in a gakuran, who was fiddling around with the empty kitchen drawers. Michifuku: ¡°Kuro-kun.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Oh? You learned his name?¡± Michifuku: ¡°No, but I think that name suits him the best.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re not wrong¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Putting that aside, we¡¯ve got a goal, right? Gettin¡¯ that keycard, then gettin¡¯ the hell outta¡¯ here.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Any idea where it could be?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Like we said, we searched top to bottom and never came across it. Which means¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°It¡¯s gotta be there, right? The room the rabbit came from.¡± Michifuku: ¡°The twelfth floor.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°But you can¡¯t be completely sure, can you?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Michifuku: ¡°Nope.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°As long as there¡¯s a possibility¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Okay. We¡¯ve gotta go for it.¡± Konsako-san¡¯s eyes were lit with determination. Daikubara: ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, dumbass. We¡¯ve still gotta figure out that rabbit. If you waltz out there without a clue, you¡¯ll get yourself killed and put the rest of us in a shittier position.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Right¡­ that¡¯s the problem, though. There¡¯s only so much we know about it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Once it left that room, it immediately set its eyes on Sakakibara-san. And once finishing with him, it moved onto the closest person; Shiroito-san.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°But, when Michifuku-san and myself were out of its line of sight, it stopped chasing after us¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Can we be sure about that? It was probably still searching for us, but we were lucky enough to get away.¡± Daikubara: ¡°The group I was with too, when that fucker appeared, we split up.¡± Daikubara: ¡°It went after the two that left me and that kid.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Kuro¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°We don¡¯t got nearly enough info on this bastard. We don¡¯t know how it works, where it is right now, and¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It attacked Konsako-san¡¯s group on the twelfth floor, right?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Eh? Yeah?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And you, Daikubara-san?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...The fourth floor.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I first saw it on the seventh, and then the fifth.¡± Michifuku: ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The rabbit started on the twelfth floor, made its way to the fourth, and then back up to seventh, and then the fifth.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°But if it was that specific, it¡¯d mean the rabbit knows exactly where we are, at all times.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Which shouldn¡¯t be possible, considering he likely just passed our floor.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Exactly. I think its most obvious route is going from top, to bottom, to bottom, to top. It¡¯s just going in a clear route, zig-zagging through each hall and staircase until it spots someone.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And if you¡¯re unlucky enough to get spotted by it, it locks onto you and chases you until it kills you.¡± Michifuku: ¡°That should be obvious from the fact it chased Shiroito-san into an apartment¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Which means the fucker won¡¯t come in here unless he knows we¡¯re inside.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°So we should be able to sneak around, if this route is correct, right?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I think so¡­ it makes the most sense, at least.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fair if it knew our exact location, so with that handicap, its best strategy is to just continuously search each floor, from left to right. When it reaches the top floor, it continues until it reaches the bottom. And vice versa.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°If we can time its route, we should be able to find the keycard, then make our way to the exit, right?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, but¡­ we need to make sure we know where the keycard is, first.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Then, how about this?¡± My footsteps echoed quietly through the hall, along with Konsako-san¡¯s. We had reached the closest staircase from the apartment. At this point in time, the rabbit was likely on an upper floor, but it didn¡¯t matter exactly where he was. No matter his location, we would have the chance to react to his appearance, as he would either ascend or descend from the staircase opposite ours. Taking into account his last noted appearance descending to the fifth floor, thirty-minutes ago, we would be able to determine how long it takes for him to traverse each floor, albeit it didn¡¯t encounter any participants. Konsako Akihi: ¡°How long did it take for you to go from the seventh floor to the fifth, Kobayashi-san?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Only a few minutes.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Adding in the time it took for you to reach our apartment¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Four minutes, maybe?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°And you used the closest staircase, didn¡¯t you?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I did.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Then the rabbit has to be going the same speed as us, if not faster than us.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Actually, considering he was already on top of someone at that point¡­¡± Konsako-san¡¯s expression grew in concern. It was a foreign look for him, I¡¯d suppose. It really didn¡¯t suit him. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We¡¯ve already went over this, Konsako-san¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mm. Sorry.¡± Our eyes were locked on the staircase opposite ours. It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to spot the rabbit, and when we did, we''d be able to move immediately. We only had to hope that the rabbit wouldn¡¯t change its theorized route. Thirty more minutes had passed. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...It¡¯s taking a while, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...It most likely found prey.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Damnit!¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Konsako-san?¡± His concerned expression had shifted to that of hopeless pain. It was clear that Konsako-san was the type of person to care for those who he didn¡¯t even know the names of. I pitied him for this, since it seemed like a heavy burden. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We can only do what we can, right?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Right.¡± Though those words didn¡¯t seem to satisfy him, there wasn¡¯t much else I could do for him. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Konsako-san, what did you do before all of this?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah? Before I died?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I worked in a corner store.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°P-Please don¡¯t look so disappointed¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Oh, sorry¡­ I just kinda expected something more exciting, given your unique appearance.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I was in track and field club in high-school, though.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re a fast runner?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°A bit. I haven¡¯t had the chance to practice in a while, though. Not to mention being dead.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What about you?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°College, like I mentioned earlier.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What¡¯d you study?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Art.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ahh, an artist, then? Were you good at it?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Considering it was my line of education, I¡¯d like to think so¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Did you have any friends?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Eh?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Oh, sorry if that was a bit intrusive. It¡¯s just, college is a bit boring without friends.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Did you go to college too?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°For a few months, but I ended up dropping out.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I see.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Friends, huh? I¡­ wouldn¡¯t say I¨C¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± A second passed before I realized what exactly Konsako-san was referring to. Turning to my right, I peered down the endless hallway. And without a doubt, that familiar shadow was descending the stairs. Konsako Akihi: ¡°It¡¯s descending, so that means it¡¯s spent the last, what, hour up there?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Why¡¯s it taking it so much longer than earlier¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°K-Konsako-san¨C¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Eh?¡± I bet if I were to bleed at this moment, the blood would freeze against my skin before reaching the floor below. I was cold. Knock, knock. A moment¡¯s pause, and then¡­ knock, knock, once again. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...I-Is¡­ is it¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± The rabbit knocked on the door, then forced it open. Half a minute passed before it returned. And onto the next door, it repeated its action. Knocking, entering, searching, leaving. All in the span of less than a minute. Six doors from our apartment. Five doors from our apartment. Four doors from our apartment.
Daikubara: ¡°When you guys get back, knock three times quickly. If we don¡¯t answer, do it again once more. If we don¡¯t answer again, assume the worst and leave.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Right, but, what are you going to do if someone else is at the door? There¡¯s no lock and no keyhole, so¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°We¡¯ll be able to hear. And if it ain¡¯t a person, then¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°You two have enough to worry about. We¡¯ll deal with our end, so you deal with your own, okay?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Mm, alright.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Be careful, please.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re planning on returning.¡±
Konsako Akihi: ¡°We need to distract it, but¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Mm.¡± We can¡¯t outrun the rabbit. If it spots us, we¡¯ll die. In this type of situation, you don¡¯t need to outrun the predator - you need to outrun the prey. But¡­ Konsako Akihi: ¡°Kobayashi-san, I¡¯ll distract it.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°E-Eh?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡¯ll keep it on the lower floors, but you need to go around the sixth floor and route back to the apartment. Take everyone to the eleventh floor, in the same apartment.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...What are you going to do?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I just need enough time to grab its attention away from this floor. If it¡¯s focused on me, then you¡¯ll have enough time to move.¡± The rabbit was a door away. Konsako-san left the staircase and entered the hallway. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...We¡¯ll meet up again. On the eleventh floor, in the same apartment.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Make sure you come back.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Mm.¡± Konsako-san gifted me with a warm, yet nervous smile, before stepping further into the hall. Konsako Akihi: ¡°H-Hey!¡± The rabbit stopped in its tracks, inches from our apartment door. Its hand was raised towards it, but it pulled back once catching eye of Konsako-san. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...¡± The rabbit wasn¡¯t interested, and continued to reach for the door handle. It didn¡¯t take a genius to see through Konsako-san¡¯s plan, but he was far too stubborn to let the rabbit through. Konsako Akihi: ¡°E-Excuse me, are you hurt? We¡¯ve got a group a few floors below, so do you wanna hide there for a while?¡± The rabbit perked its head, curious. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...¡± It then brought its hand back, gripping the bat tighter than before. It allowed the bat to glide across the tiled floor as it began its sprint towards Konsako-san.
BIND GAME RABBIT 4: Retrieving the Keycard CHAPTER 4 RABBIT 4: Retrieving the Keycard
I found myself outside of the apartment after running through the sixth floor, towards the closest staircase. I knocked on the door three times in quick fashion, and at the same time, the door swung open and I was pulled in. Daikubara: ¡°That took you long enough.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Where¡¯s Konsako-san?¡± I fell against the wall, catching my breath, before speaking. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ explain everything, but¡­ you need to come with me first¡­¡± We arrived at the eleventh floor, at the same apartment. I explained what had happened while moving to the floor, and the three were caught up. Daikubara-san shut the door with a solid thud. Daikubara: ¡°Tsk¡­ that bastard¡¯s changing up his strategy, huh?¡± Michifuku: ¡°...What do we do? Konsako-san is still out there¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°What can we do? That bastard¡¯s probably caught up to him already. He¡¯s bound to be dead by now¨C¡± Michifuku: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him, we would be dead!¡± Daikubara: ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?!¡± Daikubara-san¡¯s brash response silenced Michifuku-san. Daikubara: ¡°...But we¡¯re only wastin¡¯ our lives if we don¡¯t do somethin¡¯ now.¡± Daikubara: ¡°If you have any gratitude towards that kid, then you¡¯ll leave him.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What do we do, then? If you¡¯re right, and Konsako-san can¡¯t keep up for long, then it¡¯ll be continuing its route. We can¡¯t stay here for much longer.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Yeah, I know. Give me a minute to think.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Alright.¡± Not five minutes later, Michifuku-san and Kuro-san both left the apartment, heading to the twelfth floor to locate the keycard. Daikubara: ¡°We¡¯ll stay here in case that kid comes back, but¡­ I¡¯m not counting on it.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Mm.¡± If it took the two more than ten minutes to return, the assumption would be that they ran into an issue and wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the apartment anytime soon. In that case¡­ Daikubara: ¡°That body you found, on the seventh floor¡­ did you get a good look at it?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Hm? Not really, why?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Was just curious who it was.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Um¡­ they had blonde hair, I think. But their head was mostly covered in blood, so I couldn¡¯t really tell¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Blonde hair, huh? Probably her, then¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Did you know them?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Didn¡¯t get their name, but¡­ they were with me, Kuro and another girl.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Daikubara: ¡°A little kid, the other girl was. No older than ten, probably.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Daikubara: ¡°...It¡¯s been more than ten minutes. We need to move, already.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of us stay behind?¡± Daikubara: ¡°We¡¯re wasting too much time. If that rabbit even steps foot onto this floor, we won¡¯t have the chance to escape.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Daikubara: ¡°Like I said, forget about the kid for a bit.¡± Daikubara-san and I made our way to the twelfth floor, using the staircase closest to the room the rabbit appeared from. The corpse of a boy was laid against a wall close to the door, likely belonging to the aforementioned Sakakibara-san. Outside the room, slanted against the wall was Michifuku-san, looking exhausted. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Kuro-san?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Inside¡­ the keycard¡¯s there, too.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Then what the hell are you doing here?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Geez, take a look for yourself!¡± We peered into the room, which surprisingly was a long, long corridor, with a lone person standing at the very end. Daikubara: ¡°...Jesus Christ.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Kuro-san told me to wait outside, in case the rabbit came, but¡­ that was like ten minutes ago.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I¡¯ve tried calling out to him, but he¡¯s not answering me.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...We¡¯re better off going in, then.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Mm.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Do I have to stay here?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Obviously.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...¡± The two of us walked down the long corridor towards Kuro-san. The walls were lined with office desks and supplies, creating a walkway only fitting two people shoulder to shoulder. At the end of the corridor was Kuro-san and a flimsy string which was attached to a dark blue keycard, reflecting off the cold walls. Daikubara: ¡°What¡¯s the deal, then?¡± Kuro: ¡°...It¡¯s attached to something.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Yeah, I can see that. So why the hell haven¡¯t you grabbed it already?¡± Kuro: ¡°...Did you not hear me?¡± Daikubara: ¡°What?¡± Kuro-san pointed to the string, which seemed to be linked to something in the top corner of the room. Daikubara: ¡°The hell is that¨C¡± Kuro: ¡°An alarm system.¡± Kuro: ¡°It¡¯s likely linked to the speakers attached to the staircase walls, so if anyone were to retrieve that keycard¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...It¡¯ll sound through the speakers, alerting the rabbit.¡± Kuro: ¡°We probably won¡¯t have enough time to retrieve it and open the front door.¡± Daikubara: ¡°That bastard¡¯ll be waitin there, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Kuro: ¡°Most likely.¡± Kuro: ¡°Which means, taking this keycard will be a death sentence for us. Once the rabbit knows we¡¯re on our way to the front door, it¡¯ll have no reason to move.¡± Kuro: ¡°It¡¯ll wait for its prey.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We¡¯ll have no way out, huh?¡± The situation was extremely demanding. Our only escape was through the front door via a keycard that was rigged to an alert system, which would give away our location and scheme to the predator. It was apparent that cutting the string to free the keycard would prove difficult too, as the slightest pull would certainly sound the alarm. And not only that, there wasn¡¯t anything we could use to carefully cut the string. Daikubara: ¡°...We can¡¯t waste much more time here. If the rabbit comes, we¡¯ll be cornered.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Whatever the next plan is, we¡¯ll figure it out somewhere safer.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°But we don¡¯t even know where the rabbit is¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°So we¡¯ll wait at the staircases. We¡¯ll know his route before he can even reach us that way.¡± Daikubara-san¡¯s explanation was simple. If we were to sit atop the twelfth floor¡¯s staircases, someone could sit at the staircase of the eleventh floor and read the rabbit¡¯s movements. If the rabbit was to ascend from our staircases by the tenth floor, we¡¯d know and have time to move. If the rabbit was to ascend from the furthest staircases, we¡¯d still know. Since the rabbit searches the floor before ascending or descending further, we¡¯d have time to move either way. However, there was a prevalent issue. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The rabbit¡¯s proved itself inconsistent already. How do we know it won¡¯t change its route?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...You¡¯ve got a point.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Now might be our only chance to grab this keycard¨C¡± Kuro: ¡°If we do that, we¡¯ll never have the chance to escape.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Either way, we need to get out of this death trap first¨C¡± Michifuku: ¡°GET OUT OF THERE!!!¡± Her voice reached us in an instant, and in that same instant, we knew. The three of us began our sprint towards the entrance, almost pushing one another over. It was in that moment, I think, I realized just how fast I was. I outran both Daikubara-san and Kuro-san, and made it out of the corridor first. I came to a stop, my shoes grinding against the tiled floor. Michifuku-san was already gone; I couldn¡¯t blame her. I turned to my left, towards the furthest staircase, where it stood. The rabbit, with its bat drooling fresh, red blood.
BIND GAME RABBIT 5: Alarm CHAPTER 5 RABBIT 5: Alarm
The fresh blood dripped against the marble tiles, each time echoing silently through the hall. The neverending grin on the rabbit¡¯s face tightened as it clenched its bat. Before I could move to the stairs, I felt Daikubara-san and Kuro-san brush against my clothes as they rushed past. And without realizing it, I was being dragged along with them. Daikubara-san had a strong grip on my arm, pulling me alongside him. I couldn¡¯t reach for the chance to take a breath, and so I powered through with him, picking myself up and sprinting. We reached the stairs, almost tumbling down them. The pitter patter footsteps of the rabbit grew closer. We had limited options, which is when Kuro-san spoke. Kuro: ¡°Lead him through the tenth floor and back up to the twelfth. I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± There was no argument. We had no other choice than to hope Kuro-san¡¯s mysterious plan would work. Kuro-san ran through the eleventh floor¡¯s hallway, to the furthest staircase. Daikubara-san and I headed straight for the tenth floor, and began running through the same hallway. The rabbit was gaining distance on us. Through the tenth floor we ran, which felt like an eternity. Reaching the staircase, we made our way up to the twelfth floor, with Kuro-san out of sight. And then, after stepping foot onto the floor, we heard it. The alarm. Through every speaker on the floor, and I¡¯d assume the floors below, the sound of a ringing alarm echoed. I turned to Daikubara-san, who seemed confused, and then to the rabbit, who¡¯s grin morphed to a frown. Kuro-san had outplayed it. However, there was a prominent issue. If Kuro-san had taken the keycard, then he was still in the corridor connected to it. We were fast approaching that same corridor, and he still wasn¡¯t in sight. If he wasn¡¯t able to escape in time, he would be the rabbit¡¯s first target, and we would lose both a life and the keycard. Four doors away. Three. Two. Getting closer and closer, and yet not even a hint of Kuro-san, until light footsteps began to ring through the corridor¡¯s open door. Those light footsteps turned heavy and then in volume, as we saw the shadow of Kuro-san darken the lit hallway floor. One door away, and Kuro-san had lept out, immediately turning his body to the right staircase, and his head to the left, checking for his allies. The rabbit was speeding up, but in the same sense so were we. We knew at this point stopping meant death. And so, we ran, and we ran and ran until we could reach the front doors. This wasn¡¯t the outcome we had hoped for. Michifuku-san and Konsako-san¡¯s locations were unknown, nevermind the latter¡¯s safety. Would only the three of us be able to escape alive? There was guilt to be found, but at the same time, no other choice could be made. It was either them or us, and we had to choose. If we didn¡¯t grab the keycard now, and still miraculously escaped the rabbit, the difficulty would only rise. The rabbit had already proved itself willing to adapt, when it began checking each apartment on every floor. What would its next adaptation bring? Finding out wasn¡¯t an option - but escaping was. Tenth floor, ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third and second. We were almost there. It was on the first floor where the rabbit passed us. Daikubara-san and I were split in the middle, with the rabbit running straight through. We weren¡¯t its target, of course. That was Kuro-san. Kuro-san turned behind him, eyeing the rabbit that was gaining distance on him. Something had to be done. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Daikubara: ¡°BASTARD!¡± Daikubara-san jumped on the rabbit, pinning it to the ground. The bat toppled to the floor, and I quickly grabbed it as Kuro-san swiped the front door with the blue keycard. It opened, and he immediately left. Daikubara-san began to stab his fingers into the rabbit¡¯s visible right eye, as it kicked around in restraint. Daikubara: ¡°HIT IT!¡± I held the bat tightly, and swung violently towards the rabbit¡¯s head. But it was too late. The rabbit shifted its body, dodging the bat, and then swiped it with his open right arm, sending it flying to the right side of the open hall. Before I could react, it pulled a sharp blade from its right pocket, stabbing Daikubara-san in the arm. Daikubara-san lost grip of the rabbit, who then kicked him, forcing him back to the ground. The rabbit picked itself up, the blade in its hand dancing with glee. I was meters away from the exit, which was being held open by Kuro-san. Kuro: ¡°Now!¡± Daikubara-san held his right arm, spurting out blood. He gave me one look of approval before preparing to run in the opposite direction. But, I couldn¡¯t be satisfied with this. There¡¯s no way I could. Two escaping alive, leaving the rest to die? The rabbit would have no trouble picking off the rest of them. They¡¯d have no escape. Daikubara-san would surely bleed out, and we wouldn¡¯t have the chance to open the door for them from the outside, considering the rabbit could simply wait there, and there was no form of communication to be had once we were separated, and the knowledge that Daikubara-san was sure to bleed out if something wasn¡¯t done about his wound¨C I moved to the door, with the rabbit immediately taking chase. At that moment, I grabbed hold of Kuro-san and pulled him towards me, inside the apartment complex we were so close to escaping. I then moved out of the way of the blindly rushing rabbit, who skidded past me through the exit. Before it could comprehend what I had done, I pulled the doors shut, locking the rabbit outside. Silence. ¡­ Kuro: ¡°...What?¡± Daikubara: ¡°What the¡­ what did you¨C¡± I fell to the ground, completely exhausted, in both mind and body. The rabbit was shut from the light of the complex. The front door, like the windows, were bolted with metal covers. We were completely separated. Daikubara: ¡°Why the hell did you do that?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re going to bleed out¡­ that wound looks deep¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Who cares about that?! You two would¡¯ve gotten out¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And the rest of you would¡¯ve been stuck here, with that thing.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Like I said, who cares? Why would you¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Why do I have to explain myself? You get it, don¡¯t you?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...¡± Daikubara: ¡°Sigh¡­ right, I get it. You idiot.¡± Daikubara-san fell to his back, applying pressure to his wound via his left hand. Kuro: ¡°...That rabbit might have a keycard itself, you know?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I doubt it¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And even if it did, escaping wouldn¡¯t have made any difference. It would¡¯ve continued chasing us once we got out.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Given how desperate it was to stop us, I don¡¯t think it has one.¡± Kuro: ¡°...¡± Kuro: ¡°Even then, we have no supplies. We can leave at any time, but it¡¯ll be waiting for us. We don¡¯t even know where it¡¯ll attack from.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Still¡­ this is the better option, right?¡± Kuro: ¡°...We¡¯ll see.¡± I picked myself up, heading towards Daikubara-san. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Go ahead.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It¡¯s deep. Take off your jacket, we¡¯ll need to stop the bleeding.¡± I wrapped Daikubara-san¡¯s jacket around his arm as a tourniquet, before Kuro-san spoke again. Kuro: ¡°There isn¡¯t much time for us to waste. Let¡¯s head to the office and use the speaker system to gather everyone still alive.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Okay.¡± Kuro-san and I headed to the office in the far corner. It was small and had a dusty microphone linked to a speaker. I turned it on, tapping the microphone for feedback, confirming it was in working condition. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Umm¡­ hello. This is Kobayashi Amano speaking. We¡¯ve managed to lock the rabbit outside of the apartment complex, and three of us are currently situated in the first floor¡¯s entrance hall.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°So we can assess the situation and continue making the best decisions, come to the entrance hall. We¡¯ll wait fifteen minutes.¡± I let go of the button, sitting back on the office chair. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I hope everyone¡¯s safe¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°...¡± The next few agonising moments were spent in stillness, waiting for even one person to return to the lobby. But as each moment passed, the question digged at me¡­ ¡­Were we the only survivors?
BIND GAME RABBIT 6: Gathering CHAPTER 6 RABBIT 6: Gathering
Our anxieties were met with an immediate answer. After only two minutes, the first person arrived; Michifuku-san. Michifuku: ¡°Kobayashi-san, Daikubara-san¡­ Kuro-san, you¡¯re all alive!¡± Michifuku: ¡°What a relief¡­ sorry for running out on you guys like that.¡± Daikubara: ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you hadn¡¯t warned us, we¡¯d all be bits and pieces lined up against the wall right now.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Good point¡­¡± A few more minutes passed before the next person arrived. A young boy, around my age, with messy dark hair covering the center of his forehead. He seemed far too relaxed for our current situation. Boy: ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a lot of you already¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Are you injured?¡± Boy: ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You have a few bruises on your left arm¨C¡± Boy: ¡°They¡¯re just bruises, um¡­ Kobayashi-san, I take it?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Yes¡­ and your name?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Tatesada Hakaru, nice to meet you.¡± Several minutes passed before the final person arrived - rather, the final group. Multiple pairs of footsteps could be heard from the left staircase. A small girl ran from around the corner towards the group, wiping sweat from her brow. She had tanned skin, likely from sun exposure, thick black hair, and bright overalls. Small Girl: ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a lot of you¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Deja vu?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Kid¡­¡± Small Girl: ¡°Ah¨C Daiku-san!¡± Small Girl: ¡°What happened to you?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°I fought a rabbit. Nothing to worry yourself over.¡± This must be the girl Daikubara-san was referring to earlier. It seems she¡¯s uninjured. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I¡¯m Ishimasu Kanana! If you struggle to remember my first name, just think of the yellow fruit in English!¡± The rest of her group had arrived. They left the darkness covering them, unveiling their faces. Konsako-san, and a tall man carrying him by his shoulder. Michifuku: ¡°KONSAKO-SAN!¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah, Michifuku-san, you¡¯re all safe¡­ I¡¯m relieved¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°We¡¯re the ones who should be saying that, you dummy¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Kobayashi-san¡­ I¡¯m back.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± The relief I felt was an unnatural amount - something I hadn¡¯t felt in a very long time. I was glad. Though, that brief joy ended once I surveyed Konsako-san¡¯s injuries. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Y-Your leg¨C¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just broken.¡± Konsako-san¡¯s right leg was wrapped in bedsheets, with the leg of a chair acting as a splinter. Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡¯d be in a worse state if it wasn¡¯t for Itogaya-san.¡± He was likely referring to the man lending his shoulder for Konsako-san to lean on as they walked. He was the same height, if not an inch smaller than Daikubara-san, and was fitted with a dark suit, with the top unbuttoned, revealing his upper torso. He wore thin glasses, resting upon his strong nose. His hair was styled back, with a chunk sprung out against his face. He seemed extremely exhausted, with black eyebags found under his eyes. Itogaya: ¡°He¡¯ll recover. How¡¯s this one?¡± Daikubara: ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a nick.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°He was stabbed. The wound¡¯s quite deep.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I see. Konsako-san, can I sit you here?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Sure.¡± Itogaya-san, along with the help of Tatesada-san, helped lower Konsako-san to the floor. He then walked towards Daikubara-san, inspecting his wound. Itogaya: ¡°Mm. It¡¯s certainly deep. Disinfectant will be necessary, but I doubt we¡¯ll be lucky enough to find any rubbing alcohol on this floor, nevermind the entire complex.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Is anyone else injured?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The rest of us are fine¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Then, it¡¯s only the eight of us gathered here? No one else is coming?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed two bodies¡­ as for the other two, we¡¯re certain they¡¯re dead as well.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Which floors?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The twelfth and ninth, both in apartments. As for the confirmed deceased, there¡¯s one in the twelfth floor¡¯s hallway, and another in the seventh¡¯s.¡± Itogaya: ¡°And the rabbit is outside that door currently?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Yes. We¡¯re certain it won¡¯t be able to get back inside.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a look at the bodies myself and confirm.¡± Itogaya-san stood up, making his way to the staircase he came from. Kuro: ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Itogaya: ¡°There¡¯s no need¨C¡± Kuro: ¡°There¡¯s something I need to confirm, also.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Very well. Explain the situation to me on our way.¡± By the time Itogaya-san and Kuro-san were gone, I got everyone up to date with our current predicament. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You really managed to pull that off? That¡¯s impressive, Kobayashi-san¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°And Daikubara-san¡­ you were going to sacrifice yourself¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. I was just makin¡¯ sure those two got out, first. I had no intention in dyin¡¯.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Even then, if it wasn¡¯t for your actions¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Keep quiet¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°As for me, I hid on the second floor while waiting for something to happen¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do. I wasn¡¯t even sure what that alarm meant¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Michifuku-san. You did the right thing.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What about you, Konsako-san? How did you escape the rabbit?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah, that? It¡¯s not really too complicated, but¡­ I owe my life to Itogaya-san, truly.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°About five minutes after we separated, the rabbit finally caught up to me, around the sixth floor. It swung the bat right into my leg, and I fell.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡­ really thought I was going to die. I couldn¡¯t even get up and continue running, not just because of the broken leg - but I was beyond exhausted¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°That¡¯s when the door I was leaning against opened, and I was dragged inside by my hoodie. The rabbit looked startled, and tried to get inside, but Ishimasu-san closed the door right in time.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It was one of those apartments we woke up in, so it could actually be locked. All it needed was a key.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re welcome! The apartment Itogaya-sensei woke up in wasn¡¯t solved, so the key still worked. Should be the same for your apartment, Kobayashi-san, since I didn¡¯t see you on the first floor earlier.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Now that you mention it, there was an issue when trying to unlock my door¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You guys are lucky Itogaya-sensei is with us. He¡¯s a doctor!¡± Michifuku: ¡°Eh? A doctor? I guess that would explain some things¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°He rescued me earlier too, before the rabbit could find me. I owe everything to him¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No doubt about that¡­¡± The only individual we hadn¡¯t assessed the situation of, Tatesada-san, was approached by Michifuku-san. Michifuku: ¡°What about you?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Oh, me? Well, more or less the same as you¡­ I just hid in my apartment and waited for things to calm down. I think I was on the third floor¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°You¡¯re lucky. If you were on any floor above, that rabbit would¡¯ve surprised you. The bastard started openin¡¯ the doors of the apartments, after all.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°E-Eh? Seriously? Scary¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Four dead.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ah¨C¡± Itogaya: ¡°Just as you said¡­ we failed to get to them in time. The boy on the twelfth floor, the girl in the apartment on the same floor¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°¡±...And, the girl on the seventh floor. They were all roughly the same age. Itogaya: ¡°But the girl you spotted on the ninth floor¡­ she couldn¡¯t have been older than ten. Likely the same age as Ishimasu-san.¡± Michifuku: ¡°No way¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°...¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Gh¡­¡± Silence enveloped the cold hall. Even though we managed to keep eight alive, four strangers had met their end, including a child. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°What¡¯s next, then? That rabbit¡¯s just outside the door, and if we wait any longer in here, we¡¯ll be too exhausted to put up any sort of fight¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°We have no drinkable water or consumable food either...¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°W-We won¡¯t have to eat each other, right?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to attack when we have the energy¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°No offense, but you¡¯re not in the shape to fight, and that guy over there only has one working leg!¡± Michifuku: ¡°If we don¡¯t do something now, we won¡¯t have the chance to later¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°B-But¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°If you¡¯re too scared to fight, just let the rest of us fight for you.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Huh?¡± Michifuku: ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being scared. But you can¡¯t let it influence your decisions too much. We¡¯ll fight and protect you.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°...¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I think before we do anything else, we need to confirm what¡¯s actually out there.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mm¡­ Kobayashi-san¡¯s right¡­ Kuro-san, would you do the honors?¡± Kuro: ¡°...¡± Kuro-san swiped the card reader, but was cautious when approaching the door. He positioned himself far enough to avoid a surprise attack, but close enough to get a good view of what was outside. Kuro: ¡°...It¡¯s dark, but it looks to be a small town.¡± Kuro: ¡°I don¡¯t see the rabbit, either.¡± Kuro-san stepped back, the doors closing as he did. The cold air from outside had temporarily seeped in, with a slight breeze moving my hair. Daikubara: ¡°How about half of us leave now, and come back after figuring out just where the hell we are?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Saves us from slowing down the group with Konsako, and if something happens, then¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯d rather not be a burden, anyway.¡± Itogaya: ¡°It isn¡¯t a bad idea. If we can at least assess our situation and surroundings, we should be able to make a decision going forward. Blindly moving as a group won¡¯t get us far.¡± Michifuku: ¡°¡®Kay, but who¡¯s going?¡± Itogaya: ¡°The injured and child will stay, of course. That leaves one over.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Then, out of the four of you, I think it would be best for you to stay behind.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun, was it?¡± Kuro: ¡°...Is there a reason for that?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Both groups will require someone able for defense and offense, if required. Leaving two injured on their own isn¡¯t ideal, but with their wounds, they need to be resting for now.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯d like you to stay behind, only for a poor scenario.¡± Kuro: ¡°...Fine.¡± Kuro-san clearly wasn¡¯t happy with Itogaya-san¡¯s choice, but compared to the other three options, it was obvious he was most fit to defend. Itogaya: ¡°Then, are you three fine accompanying me?¡± Itogaya-san referred to Michifuku-san, Tatesada-san and myself - the only ones left available. We all silently nodded in agreement, though it was clear Tatesada-san was overcoming an abundance of nerves. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯d bring chair or table legs with you - anything to defend yourself.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I¡¯ll bring the rabbit¡¯s bat.¡± Kuro: ¡°...Before you leave, can I confirm something?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm?¡± Kuro: ¡°Does everyone in this room have a dragon token - or a token of any kind, from the apartment they woke in?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Ah¡­ you asked me that same question earlier¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°I¡¯m not certain what usage they¡¯ll have yet, but I think it¡¯d be in our best interest if someone kept inventory of them.¡± Everyone in the room unveiled their token. We each had that of the dragon, and after confirming our dates of birth, we determined that we all belonged to the year of the dragon, as well. Kuro-san held onto five tokens, one belonging to him and four to the bodies in the apartment complex. The four of us preparing to leave gave him our tokens, in case we failed to return. Itogaya: ¡°Then, with that sorted, we should head out.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Geez¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m prepared for this.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°After all that talk earlier, I¡¯d like to hope you were¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± The four of us left the apartment complex, stepping foot into the small, cold town linked outside. The doors shut with a dispiriting clunk, separating us from the stilted comfort of our four fellow participants. The keycard was left inside, in the clutch of Kuro-san¡¯s palm. If we failed to return, or worse, then at the very least the other four would be able to exit the apartment on their own. The streets were empty, with the atmospheric, thick air brushing past our clothes. The wind silently moved, idle yet wistful. A wall separated the outside of the town, below a heavy metal fence layered with barbed wire. The buildings to our right were towering, but not nearly the size of the complex we had just departed. Newspapers and litter were scattered across the concrete ground, with sewer drains restlessly leaking sewage barely high enough to touch the soles of our shoes. It was a ghost town - had it been lived in before? And if so, what happened to those who used it as a home? Those questions filled my mind, as I came to the conclusion we were entirely absent from life in this desolate town.
BIND GAME RABBIT 7: Town of Predator or Prey CHAPTER 7 RABBIT 7: Town of Predator or Prey
The cold air clenched my shaking hand, as my fingers wrapped tightly around the blood-soaked wooden bat. It had only occurred to me then, as my fingers stuck to the dried blood, that this instrument was used to take lives. The dark, wet streets of the town stretched for a fair distance, likely taking five minutes to walk from one corner of the town to another. Small apartments lined the centre of the town, and small buildings, cars, and general debris lined the outside walls. We were making our way from the West to the North, from the apartment we left to an empty corner. We had decided to investigate the walls of the town first, which seemed too high to climb, not to mention topped off with rusty spiked fences, decorated with barbed wire. You could argue that these fences were climbable, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any point in doing so, as there was nothing but barren land past the walls, and the occasional pine tree. Michifuku: ¡°Sheesh, it¡¯s cold¡­ I¡¯m relieved I died in my winter uniform.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°You in highschool?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Nope, college.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°What kind of college has school uniforms?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Were you in college, Tatesada-kun?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°K-Kun? Uh¡­ yeah, kinda - not really, though.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Is that a yes or a no?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°It¡¯s complicated¡­ was complicated.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I see¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Let¡¯s search here.¡± We had reached a building, perhaps fifty feet from the original apartment. It was small, with quick steps leading up to the desolate entrance. It seemed to be a storage building, with the inside protected by brick walls, and a small unmoveable lever attached to said wall. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ll briefly check the inside before we all enter.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°No need to take it so seriously, Itogaya-senseiii. Doubt there¡¯s anything in there, anyway.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...¡± Itogaya-san opened the single metal door, which grinded against the floor below, as if to stop him from entering. After a minute, he returned, letting us know it was safe to enter. The inside was smaller than expected, though I¡¯d chalk that up to most of the space being taken up by opened storage boxes. The walls were lined with empty cans and water bottles, as well as decorative cups. The storage boxes filled the centre of the room, creating an impassable wall, and endless wires ran through the ceiling like a maze. Steep steps led up to the roof, which housed a small satellite dish. Next to the stairs was a messy futon, with a torn pillow and some unsavoury magazines laying on top. The most interesting piece in the building, however, was the computer desk facing the furthest wall from the stairs, with three beaten monitors sitting on its plastic surface. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Jesus, this is ancient¡­¡± Tatesada-san lowered himself below the desk, picking at the dusty desktop ageing under it. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You familiar with computers?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Sure.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°It¡¯s plugged in and I¡¯ve tried turning it on, so it¡¯s clear there isn¡¯t any power coming through here. If we wanna see what¡¯s on it, we¡¯ll need to switch that on.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The only lighting we¡¯re getting is through the holes in the roof and the windows¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Doubt there¡¯ll be anything good on here, though. It¡¯s probably running ancient Mayan tech.¡± Itogaya: ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything of interest here, we should move forward.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Gross¡­¡± Michifuku-san dropped the dirty magazine as quickly as she had picked it up, before the four of us left. The North-East corner of the town was mostly empty, aside from the limitless radio tower reaching towards the endless sky, which seemed prone to collapsing at the slightest touch. Connected to the East side streets, close to the South-East corner, was a lonely two-door garage, who¡¯s torn roof should¡¯ve been exposed to the moonlight above. The inside housed a decayed Toyota, according to Michifuku-san, as well as the essential inventory of a garage, and more dirty posters, suggesting the owner was an old man - also according to Michifuku-san. Aside from tattered tools and leaking pipes, there wasn¡¯t much of interest inside. Closing in on the South-East corner, we located our main goal - the exit. A wide, iron spiked gate, held firmly by two brick columns, blocked off a long stretch of road reaching a foggy building in the distance. And like the fences it stood next to, barbed wire was wrapped on top. Tatesada-san was also familiar with these types of gates. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°This is likely remote controlled. We¡¯ll have to either find its device, or power it through another building - maybe that storage place from before.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just climb it? Barbed wire isn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Probably, doesn¡¯t sound that hard.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Don¡¯t forget about our two injured. How do you suppose they¡¯ll pass this gate?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Well, we could just carry them up with some sorta rope, maybe.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I doubt that¡¯ll be feasible with the barbed wire.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Though, this doesn¡¯t seem to be much of a challenge, unlike that of the apartment.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Why give us an accessible exit this soon?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Compared to the apartment exit, this seems far too approachable. Even with our injured.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Whatever the case, we can come back to this later. We still need to locate food and water.¡± Having put it aside temporarily, we made our way to the small factory next to the gate. There were two floors, the second being connected by stairs both inside and outside. There wasn¡¯t much of note within the factory, with the first floor being a lounge area, and the second a mini box factory. An office room was joined by a heavy metal door and paned window. Itogaya-san noted the building as being usable for shelter. Compared to the East and North walls, the South wall was far more lenient on space. It stretched out slightly, and contained several multiple-story apartment complexes, as well as minute garages, which were lined up in two separate rows. The apartments and garages contained no food or running water, essentially nothing of interest. Though, some apartments hosted a basement that refused to open, no matter how hard we pushed or pulled against its metal frame. Aside from that, a small power station was located in the furthest right corner of the wall, near the garages, and although it was locked tight with a dried chain, it piqued our interest far more than anything else as it suggested something towards our benefit. A lever was attached to a wall, similar to the storage building, and it also did not move. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°We get this open, and we might be able to power some of these buildings. Maybe that storage one, too.¡± Michifuku: ¡°We¡¯re gonna need bolt cutters to get in, though. You¡¯d think we¡¯d find them in one of those garages, but¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°There¡¯s a small opening up here, through a vent. However, I doubt any of you could fit through.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What about Ishimasu-san? She¡¯s quite small, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Nine year-olds tend to be¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°I thought she was ten?¡± Like the North, no buildings were attached to the East wall, only a long road connecting to the lone apartment we came from. Having failed to discover food or running water, our next destination was in the centre of town, and the abundance of unexplored buildings within it. ¡­Unbeknownst to us at that time however, one of us had just stepped in the drool of a predator. The town was claustrophobic, with dark, damp alleyways separating each section, and tall buildings closing us in. Gates blocked off certain alleyways, and refused to open without power. Apartments, small stores and storage buildings acted as walls, with most of them being empty or unopenable. There was a small green park near the centremost of town, with a non-working marble water-fountain and playpark within. The decorations in town were towering trees, foetid dumpsters and worn benches, with the occasional wind phone and bus stop. The yellow hue from the street lights led from one building to another, and at one point led us to another chained door, leading to a likely electrical station. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Sigh¡­ still nothing, huh?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Right¡­ I think I might starve.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°I¡¯m more worried about water¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°...¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Everything okay, Itogaya-san?¡± I turned towards Itogaya-san, who had stopped walking, seemingly lost in thought. Itogaya: ¡°...It feels rather pointless.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Hm?¡± Itogaya: ¡°No food, nor water. But another exit, possibly leading us to another place to search.¡± Itogaya: ¡°What is the purpose, do you think?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Beats me. We¡¯re not finished searching yet, anyway.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Despite the lack of reason for staying here, there is no threat. What do animals do in a time like this? Migrate?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Animals don¡¯t typically make homes in barren lands¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°My point exactly. But, something else is bothering me.¡± Itogaya: ¡°This area seems lived in. Either those before us left in a hurry, or were eliminated.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...What are you suggesting?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Perhaps this isn¡¯t the breeding ground for our prey.¡± Itogaya-san was suggesting something sinister, that our current location wasn¡¯t to our benefit, but to that of another predator. Itogaya: ¡°Either way¡­ this path is dwindling and suffocating. It¡¯s becoming hard to envision anything¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Path?¡± Itogaya: ¡°...All we can do is continue moving forward for now, until we confirm our options.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± The final point of interest was highlighted not only by the street lights, but the green light radiating from behind its windows. A regular convenience store, with a small parking lot and rusted cars attached to it. The inside was clear as day, and its inventory alluring. No one was inside, but despite that, it seemed to have been recently attended to. Itogaya: ¡°...A konbini?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Oh, it actually looks useful! We might be able to find something here worth our while.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Heating?!¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Why is this the only place powered?¡± Tatesada-san and Michifuku-san made their way to the front door, rushing past us and the fence closing the store in. Itogaya-san, however, didn¡¯t move from his spot. Itogaya: ¡°Predators and prey¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-san¡­ tell me; what is the easiest way to trap prey?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...!¡± Food and water, no less. Itogaya: ¡°You two, get out of there now!¡± It was too late. The automatic sliding doors slammed tight, and along with the windows, were covered by metal shutters that flung down from above. The green light from within was shut out, leaving only the yellow hue of the streetlights to shine upon us outside. As if the store sensed it would fail to capture more prey, it satisfied its stomach with two.
BIND GAME RABBIT 8: Balance CHAPTER 8 RABBIT 8: Balance
Daikubara: ¡°...They¡¯re taking too long.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Give them a chance¡­¡± The atmosphere inside the lobby was cold to the touch. Ishimasu-san tended to Daikubara-san¡¯s wound, which required rebandaging quite often. Konsako-san sat against a wall, keeping his leg straight, while Kuro-san stood next to the exit, waiting for anything. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mm, yeah¡­¡± Though the two tried convincing themselves, being in a position where they couldn¡¯t act, Daikubara-san wasn¡¯t so ignorant. He stood, pushing Ishimasu-san away from his tender wound, and began heading for the door. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°D-Daikubara-san? Where are you going?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Where do you think?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Idiot! You can¡¯t go out there, not with that cut!¡± Daikubara: ¡°We haven¡¯t got time to waste here. This won¡¯t be getting any better just by laying around and waiting.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Wait a while longer, Daikubara-san¡­ we need to trust in them. I¡¯m certain they¡¯ll return¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°Oi, Kuro. Open it.¡± Kuro held the keycard, directly next to the card reader. But, he wouldn¡¯t move. Daikubara: ¡°...Open it.¡± Kuro: ¡°No.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Excuse me?¡± Kuro: ¡°I¡¯m not opening it.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Uhuh? You wanna tell me why?¡± Daikubara-san closed in on Kuro-san. Daikubara: ¡°Those idiots are riskin¡¯ their lives out there, and you¡¯re keeping me from helping them. You understand that?¡± Kuro: ¡°There¡¯s no benefit in you leaving now. Wait.¡± Daikubara: ¡°It¡¯s probably already been two hours. They ain¡¯t coming back.¡± Kuro: ¡°Ninety-six minutes.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Huh?¡± Kuro: ¡°We wait for another twenty-four, and if they don¡¯t return, two of us leave.¡± Kuro: ¡°That¡¯s the plan, isn¡¯t it?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Who cares about the plan? We¡¯re wasting time, so open the damn door!¡± Kuro: ¡°No.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Fine, bastard¡­¡± Daikubara-san grabbed Kuro-san by the collar of his shirt, but before he could even reach into his pockets, Kuro-san dug his left index finger directly into Daikubara-san¡¯s open wound, then swept straight under his feet, sending him to the ground. Daikubara-san attempted to grab at him again, but Kuro-san simply moved out of the way, before booting him in the stomach, forcing him to cough outwards. Daikubara: ¡°GH- YOU¨C¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°DAIKUBARA-SAN!¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Kuro-san, that¡¯s enough!¡± He returned his now bloodied finger, wiping it against the bottom of his gakuran, before leaning back against the blocked window. Kuro: ¡°Twenty-three minutes. Then, I¡¯ll open it.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Tsk.¡± Ishimasu-san immediately tended to the reeling wound, wrapping it in even more cloth than before. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...¡± Daikubara: ¡°That¡¯s enough, kid¡­ you¡¯re gonna squeeze my arm off if you keep it up.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It¡¯s your fault, idiot¡­ you can¡¯t fight your friends¡­¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Daikubara: ¡°That bastard isn¡¯t my friend, nor anyone¡¯s. He¡¯s just here for himself, like the rest of us¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You can¡¯t just say that about anybody¡­ some of us are different than that¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Sorry.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...Ah. Daikubara-san, this logo on your jacket¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Are you from Saitama prefecture?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Uhuh¡­ how¡¯d you figure?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I know this logo¡­ I saw it in town once, I think¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°You from around there?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Mm. Hidaka district.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°What kinda place did you work at?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Take one guess.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Hehe. I think my uncle likes your place. He¡¯s really into cars.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Is he now?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Did you like working there?¡± Daikubara: ¡°It was alright. Didn¡¯t have much else going for me, ended up workin¡¯ there since I was twice your age.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Woah¡­ just how old are you, Daikubara-san?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Watch your mouth.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Thirty-three.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°GAN!!!¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Don¡¯t look so shocked.¡± Ishimasu-san was an expert in changing the subject, redirecting the atmosphere and easing the nerves. In just a short exchange, she had successfully lowered Daikubara-san¡¯s guard, and removed his attention from a situation he couldn¡¯t change. I doubt it was intentional, either. She was simply a kind soul. Daikubara: ¡°...What age are you, kid?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Nine, I think. I might be ten now, but I was nine when I died.¡± Daikubara: ¡°You too, then¡­?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Duh! Everyone here died.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...What the hell did you have to go through to wind up here?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...Pancreatic cancer.¡± The joyful and wide-smiled Ishimasu-san slouched against the wall, tucking her knees to her chest. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I got it when I was six. Everyone but me knew what was gonna happen, so it really surprised me when it did¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It hurt lots¡­ but what hurt more than that was knowing I was gonna leave everyone behind¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°¡®Cus, unlike the pain¡­ that feeling in my stomach is still there¡­ that¡¯s why I gotta get back¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°...¡± Daikubura-san found himself at a loss for words, requiring Konsako-san to find a way to bridge the gap now created. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Ishimasu-chan.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You put up with all that pain and fear¡­ and even now, you still wanna go back.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re a really good girl.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°N-Not really, I just¡­ I just¨C¡± Before she had noticed, tears began streaming down her face, puddling on the marble floor. A soft, warm hand was placed on her head, telling her it was okay to cry. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯ll meet them again, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve been such a good girl, so you have to be rewarded.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Mm¡­ mm¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± Kuro-san, emotionlessly and abruptly, ended the tears falling from the young girl¡¯s eyes. Kuro: ¡°Three minutes.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Okay, who¡¯s going?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...¡± I was breathless, covered head to toe in cold sweat. My palms were dirtied and bruised from the scraping and pounding, as I attempted to open the locked doors and shutters to the convenience store. Mere minutes had passed, and no progress had been made. Itogaya: ¡°...Kobayashi-san, we need to leave.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Huh¡­ What are you talking about? They¡¯re still inside¨C¡± Itogaya: ¡°The capturer will be here soon. That trap was remote activated, as it operated once I rejected the store.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We need to leave before they arrive.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°No¡­ We can¡¯t leave them¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Then, what is it you suggest we do?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Itogaya-san approached me, towering over me in scale. Itogaya: ¡°Just what is it you hope to achieve?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Like before, risking everything in order to save others. Why?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...You¡¯re one to talk. You went out of your way to save Ishimasu-san and Konsako-san¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°I could sense the path forward with them alive. That¡¯s the only reason why.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But right now, where we stand - no such path exists. There is no retrieving them.¡± Itogaya: ¡°What is your purpose, Kobayashi-san? To die in order to save others?¡± Itogaya: ¡°What is the point of that, in this game?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡° Itogaya: ¡°What? Speak up¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I said I don¡¯t know.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I can¡¯t let it end like this. It isn¡¯t fair.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Is there no possibility of convincing you otherwise?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I doubt it.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Despite seeming quite mature, you¡¯re far more naive and stubborn.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I hope you can find a balance, Kobayashi-san. Because with the way you are now, you¡¯re going to fall.¡± Itogaya-san fixed his jacket, before leaving the store¡¯s parking lot. Within seconds, he was out of my sight, leaving me completely alone. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Why am I like this?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°He¡¯s right¡­ I have no reason to act this way, and yet¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t figure it out. I was here for a reason, so why lose everything to save them? I¡¯ve done this before - countless times in my life. I can never figure out why, but it feels like this is what I have to do. And so, I¡¯ll do it. Before I could pick myself back up, and confront the locked store once more, I heard a growl growing from the darkness behind me. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Itogaya-san¨C¡± And in that same darkness, the sickly yellow eyes of a white fox, emanating from a black fog.
BIND GAME RABBIT 9: Idiot CHAPTER 9 RABBIT 9: IDIOT
I got into a fight today. These older kids were picking on a little girl, whose face was full of tears. They wouldn¡¯t leave her alone. She looked really helpless, and it made me angry, so I jumped in and hit one of them in the face. It was all I could do to help, probably. I didn¡¯t last long before they started to gang up on me, and they hit me way harder than the girl. They were probably in middle school, and had really ugly faces. I hated them and I didn¡¯t even know their names. Before they could finish me off, an ally arrived. A really stupid boy from my class, Haji-kun (who¡¯s real name was Haruki Haruji-kun) ran in out of nowhere. He must¡¯ve been following me home, or something. Stalker. He started throwing his arms at the older boys, while yelling words I can¡¯t repeat. There¡¯s no way that idiot lasted longer than me, and he only got a few punches in. The middle schoolers left after a bit, probably ¡®cus they were bored. Haji-kun and me were in a lot of pain all over. Haji-kun started crying a lot. Even though he decided to get his butt kicked. Girl: ¡°Why are you crying¡­?¡± Haruki Haruji: ¡°¡®Cus¡­ I lost!!! I always lose!¡± Haruki Haruji: ¡°I couldn¡¯t beat them¡­ and my head hurts¡­¡± Girl: ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Haruki Haruji: ¡°I have to get stronger¡­¡± Girl: ¡°Your nose is bloody, I¡¯ll stop it¨C¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°HAJI, YOU BIG IDIOT!¡± I struck him on the nose, and even more blood came out. Haruki Haruji: ¡°AHHH!!!¡± Girl: ¡°EH?!¡± I was on top of him, and hit him a lot more times than the bullies did. It was his own fault. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°STUPID CRY BABY, WHY EVEN FIGHT IF ALL YOUR GONNA DO IS CRY! IDIOT!¡± Haruki Haruji: ¡°OW!!!¡± Girl: ¡°STOP!!!¡± The small girl pulled on my uniform, and I let my fists breathe, turning to look at her. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What do you want, cry baby number two?!¡± Girl: ¡°Snf¡­ you were crying too¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°N-NO I WASN¡¯T! Why were you even fighting those guys?!¡± Girl: ¡°They¡­ were picking on my big brother¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Huh?¡± Haruki Haruji: ¡°...Hnuh?¡± That girl was stupid too. Her name was Ishikawa Sadako, and she was in the same year as me and Haji-kun, but she went to a different elementary school. I¡¯m not sure why, but I often found myself thinking back to that day, even years later when we had become much closer friends. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, why did those two start a fight they couldn¡¯t win? ¡­Moreso, why did I? ¡­ The cold air escaping the creature¡¯s lungs clouded its face in the darkness, yet I could tell it was a predator. Its damp yellow eyes and snarling snout escaped the void, highlighted under the parking lot¡¯s streetlight. It was a dirty white fox, the Rabbit¡¯s natural predator, which sported a jet-black gakuran, unbefitting of a hound. I clenched the dirty bat I held, my hands shaking in unbelievable tension. The creature was approaching steadily, with its intent clear. Was it the one who trapped Michifuku-san and Tatesada-san? If I were to leave now, would it only target those two? They would have a better chance than me, if the fox is alone. But, given that it was attempting to capture four at once, it must have an advantage in this situation. Perhaps it was waiting for the captured targets to starve or dehydrate, then go in for the food? There¡¯s no way I could know with my limited information and limited time. I had to make a decision now - stay or leave? The fox began to approach, squinting its eyes as it locked onto me. Now that I think about it, if the fox was going to wait for those trapped inside to run out of energy, why would it arrive at the store entrance now? Only three possibilities occurred to me; the fox had the confidence to take its spoils now, meaning I was at an immense disadvantage; the fox wanted to prevent me from retrieving its captured prey, meaning rescue was very possible; or the fox wasn¡¯t here for the captured prey - it was here for the prey that foolishly decided to stay back. I positioned myself in the space between the store and the tall wooden fence. If I were to flee, I might be able to escape; but at the cost of possibly sacrificing my allies. Not only that, but if the fox were to chase after me as its main prey, then I would end up in a worse position with less stamina and a disadvantageous area. And so, I decided to stay put - as the fox could only confront me from one angle. Fighting was far from my greatest strength - but despite that, I had a lot of experience in it, which at least gave me a smaller advantage than most. The fox didn¡¯t seem to be carrying a weapon, so it would most likely use its teeth and claws to inflict damage. And in that case, since predators typically target throats, I¡¯ll have to focus on protecting it. However, the Rabbit was cunning enough to hide blades in its pockets to regain an advantage in a desperate situation, so the fox was likely to do so as well. Then again, I had to consider that the Rabbit was also a prey - it had blunt teeth and claws, so relying on weapons was a necessity for the creature, opposed to the fox. That gakuran, too. How could I use it towards my advantage - actually, why a gakuran in the first place? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I hadn¡¯t any more time to think thoroughly and calmly. The fox was now inches from my position, grinning as it sought to rip a hole in my throat. Using weapons wasn¡¯t my forte, but I could at least manage some distance with the baseball bat. That would force the fox to telegraph its attack, giving me at least a second to react. A fast boost sprung the fox from its hind legs into my zone. I swung at its head, but it quickly ducked, scratching at my stomach. If I hadn¡¯t just as quickly backed up, I¡¯m certain my entrails would have lined the streets. Again, the fox swung at me, and I jumped back, hoping I would find the chance to fight back as it missed its swing. However, the fox immediately bounced back, taking no time to regain control as it threw its claws straight for my throat, which I protected by rotating the bat horizontally. The claws dug into the bat, and I struggled to keep grip of it as the fox pulled back, trying to remove my tool. I kicked the creature in the chest, sending it to the floor temporarily, as it picked itself up and backed up. The wicked grin on the fox slowly lowered, as it evaluated the risk and reward of entertaining its prey. I had only noticed then, that my right palm was leaking blood as the fox had cut through the bat earlier and reached my skin. The pain began to set in as my tight hold on the weapon loosened, returning the glee to the fox¡¯s face. It again attacked, skipping towards me in a surprisingly simplistic straight line. I weakly batted towards its head, but missed as it had jumped back before the bat could reach it. It was baiting a swing, to create a wide opening. The creature jumped forward, ready to slash at my open torso as my throat was protected by my moving arms. However, I had expected this bait from its unnatural approach. The weak swing was purposeful, as I quickly and strongly swung the bat back to the left, towards the creature¡¯s head. It soon realised it was the one being baited, and moved its left arm to protect its head, dealing a great blow from the bat. It yelped in pain as it found distance to keep from me, holding its arm in feverish pain. I surely broke a bone or two, and more than bruised its muscle. I was now more than meagre prey to the fox, registering as a worthy game in its sickly eyes. In response to this, it began its next approach far more carefully than before, understanding that a simple mistake could register another limb useless. My main targets were its jaw and right arm - if I could render them also inoperable, then I would surely win. If I wished to prevent it from retreating, injuring the legs would also give me an advantage; although they were greatly defended due to the fox¡¯s positioning. The distance between the fox and I shortened as it again began its stalk. It was just out of batting range, teasing me into taking a step forward to swing at it; though I wasn¡¯t naive enough to think that would work. It took a few jabs at me, trying to bait me into another swing, but I refused to give into that either. It was in my best interest to force the fox to take a new approach - one that would hopefully give me power over it. Though of course, the fox would prefer avoiding as such. ¡­One detriment to this thought process of mine was my tunnel vision, which clouded my line of sight when in a beneficial position. If I was winning a fight, it wouldn¡¯t occur to me that losing was an option. Though it¡¯d been a while since my last scuffle, I couldn¡¯t deny that that was still a handicap I had to deal with. And like the tunnel vision, mere gravel could also temporarily blind me. The fox loaded its legs, kicking towards me. Its right arm lurched towards my chest, which I dodged quite easily. I thought for a moment; was the fox getting stupidly desperate? And that naivety, that tunnel vision, would spell my defeat. After ¡°missing¡± its attack, and baiting me into swinging towards its head vertically, since I believed I had the upper hand, the fox kicked back once again, spitting gravel into my face. I was blinded, and instinctively reacted to clear my eyes. Before my vision could return, I felt cold, sharp edges dig into my right side, puncturing my skin and muscle. A scream was forced out of me, as I covered my throat to avoid it also being skewered. My right arm, holding the bat, was now positioned atop my throat with the bat adding an extra layer. My left arm hammered at the fox which had dug its claws into my waist. The beast bit into my arm, and at that time I decided to swing at the creature. It was waiting for that response. It immediately let go of my arm and charged for my open neck, which I quickly defended by moving my right arm back to defence, which suffered a strong bite from the fox¡¯s jaw. I kicked and kicked at the foul beast, hoping to push it back even for a second. The right hand¡¯s claws raised up, ready to strike me again in the waist, but my own left hand grabbed onto it, keeping it at bay. The fox continued to dig its teeth through my right forearm, surely breaking bones at this point. I attempted to overtake its position, hoping to pin it against the ground, but its ruthless stubbornness prevented me from moving at all. All I could do was sacrifice the blood in my body, just to keep my throat from being torn open. How much longer could I keep this up? My right arm began falling limp, as my left struggled to keep the bloody claws from piercing my waist again, which at this point had doused the ground with the dark red blood spurting from inside. My head fell faint. I had likely lost a pint or two of blood by now, and there was no hope of the flow stopping. The fox had only been on me for a minute, but was already winning. Wait, winning? Was I¡­ losing? Again? Why¡­ Why do people start fights they can¡¯t win? If I had just retreated the second that beast appeared, I might¡¯ve made it out alive with everyone else¡­ But something kept me here. Was it my pride? Muy ego? Or was I really just that desperate to protect those two? Was I genuinely that naive and idiotic? Whatever the answer, it¡¯s what got me killed. But it¡¯s no one¡¯s fault except mine. I did this to myself, like I always do. I only have myself to blame. And as punishment for my stubbornness, I¡¯ll die a painful death alone. One worse than before. Did I die¡­ just to suffer a worse fate? What¡­ was the¡­ point of everything? These thoughts echoed through my emptying head, as my right arm failed to hold the fox back any longer. I had submitted my life to it, without the energy to protest. Just like before¡­ I started a fight I couldn¡¯t win, and I was left alone¡­ ¡­But, I wasn¡¯t alone at that time, was I? As my vision faded, I heard a solid thud, followed by a yelp. I could barely make out what had happened, but I was certain of one thing. Someone was here. The fox was knocked towards the store wall, and quickly ran away, leaving our field of vision. The individual who had come to my aid walked up to me, quickly checking my wounds. Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-san, can you tell me where you are right now?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Itogaya¡­ -san¡­?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Can you move?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll leave without claiming some spoils. Prepare yourself.¡± I couldn¡¯t muster the energy to ask him why he¡¯d returned. I just had to accept the fact I was saved moments from death, even if my safety wasn¡¯t confirmed.
BIND GAME RABBIT 10: Idiot (Part 2) CHAPTER 10 RABBIT 10: Idiot (Part 2)
The following played out in only brief moments, but for the two involved, it likely felt like a lifetime of events. The predator lept from the roof, catching Itogaya-san by surprise. A desperate swing from the batter left him open, and the predator used this chance to swipe against his ribcage, separating his skin and muscles. But it wasn¡¯t enough to cause intense bleeding, so Itogaya-san simply took a deep breath and clenched harder than before, while the fox slowly approached him from the front. The fox wasn¡¯t stupid. Not only was it in far weaker condition than before, with its broken left arm and battered head, but it could assess that Itogaya-san was much stronger physically, even if he was likely inexperienced in fighting. And so with that in mind, it took its approach slower than before, testing what would make Itogaya-san bite. Then it got a clever idea; why was this prey getting in the way? The fox quickly rushed back out of sight, and began scuttering around the parking lot and store to make its way towards me. But although inexperienced in fighting, Itogaya-san was intelligent enough to predict the fox¡¯s objective. He repositioned himself to guard me properly, waiting for the fox to strike from anywhere. And it did. Leaping once again from the roof, Itogaya-san faced the fox to defend. But the fox was more interested in what was behind him. It missed the landing on Itogaya-san, and instead bounced off the fence from behind, slicing through Itogaya-san¡¯s back, spraying the ground in his blood. And yet despite that, Itogaya-san didn¡¯t make so much as a grunt. He quickly turned around as the fox got closer, hoping to surprise him, and struck it again on the left arm. It howled and backed off, the cracked bones likely shattering to dust. Another lunge from the fox influenced Itogaya-san to swing at its legs, but he missed. It took this chance to pounce at his vulnerable throat, which forced him to block the bite with his available left arm. The beast punctured through his arm with its sharp teeth, similarly to my own, and began to slice at his side with its claws. Itogaya-san, being much stronger than me, managed to kick the predator off with a few blows to the chest. Itogaya: ¡°Hahh¡­ hahh¡­ phoo¡­¡± He was breathless, his sweat mixing in with his blood. Surely, at this rate, he would either pass out from the pain or lack of oxygen. What was he going to do? There was no possibility of him winning this battle¨C And yet, a thin grin stretched towards his ears. The predator retreated out of our line of sight once again, but it was obvious it wasn¡¯t running. It was finding a way to surprise us. Itogaya-san breathed in deeply, which had to have hurt his torn muscles, and stood in the silent cold, listening for a hint to the predator¡¯s location. ¡­ Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡­ ¡­There. The fox hopped from the other side of the fence, attempting to get the jump on Itogaya-san, but the slight kickoff that sounded from its leap had reached him, and he was able to react in time. The fox had its jaw wide open, hoping to bite him in the shoulder or neck, but again, Itogaya-san prevented this by using his left forearm as a shield, which the fox grasped onto. What the fox failed to predict however, was that Itogaya-san was hoping it would take this bite. It was the fox¡¯s fatal mistake. Itogaya-san dropped the baseball bat and grabbed hold of the fox¡¯s right arm, and pinned it to the ground. The predator bit harder and harder into his arm, refusing to let it go. I¡¯m sure the pain was unbearable, but even with that, Itogaya-san continued holding the creature¡¯s arm in lock. He used his legs to pin the lower half of the creature¡¯s body, and spoke. Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-san¡­ can you stand?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Can you stand?¡± I couldn¡¯t even respond, let alone move. Itogaya: ¡°I¡­ understand if it¡¯s too difficult for you to do anything, right now.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But if you want to live¡­ if you want to protect those around you¡­ you need to move now.¡± ¡­But I can¡¯t. I know what he¡¯s saying is true, but my body is too weak. I can¡¯t do it. There¡¯s no way I can do anything right now. I¡¯m sorry, Itogaya-san, but I can¡¯t help you, even though you helped me. Itogaya: ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t owe me anything. This is your second chance, I believe.¡± Itogaya: ¡°You can decide what to do with that chance. I did.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I didn¡¯t understand before, why you would risk everything to help people you don¡¯t even know¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°...And I still don¡¯t understand. But, when I heard your voice¡­ I didn¡¯t hesitate. I simply did what I could.¡± Itogaya: ¡°That¡¯s how you feel¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡± How I feel? I can¡¯t be sure, either¡­ but¡­ that time, and times like it, I moved without thinking. I never found a reason for it, but I never searched for one either. Even when all cards were stacked against me, I moved¡­ and I struggled to regret it. I pulled at the ground, my nails tearing against the solid earth. My muscles wrapped and pulled as I forced my body up, and I slouched against the wall while walking forward, my skin peeling against its rough surface. My vision was dark and I couldn¡¯t tell where I was going, until the red liquid highlighted under the streetlight led me to the predator and prey¡­ and the bat laying next to them. The fox pointed its yellow eyes toward me, shivering in true fear. I wonder, if Itogaya-san hadn¡¯t arrived to help¡­ would I be the one in that position? No¡­ I certainly would. I have to be thankful for that. I reached below, towards the bat, but struggled to pick it up. I don¡¯t think it was even possible to lift a finger towards it. And so¡­ I instead lifted my right foot above the predator¡¯s head, and released it. And again, and again and again, until its head was a wet surface layered against the ground and fence, with the yellow light behind its eyes blending with the mess. Itogaya: ¡°Hahh¡­ hahh¡­ phuh¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Hnhh¡­ hnh¡­¡± My shoe was repainted red, with bits of brain sticking to it. The smell was atrocious, and was enough to knock me flat to the ground. Before my head could crack beneath, cold firm arms caught me. Surely¡­ Itogaya-san¡¯s left arm ached too much to hold even a leaf, and yet¡­ I felt secure. ¡­And the night sky clouded my mind, sending me into darkness, my last thoughts focused on my actions both that day, and today¡­ Am I¡­ an idiot too?
BIND GAME RABBIT 11: Air Vent CHAPTER 11 RABBIT 11: Air Vent
The outskirts of the town were quiet, and equally as quiet was the apartment we hid in. We were likely on the fifth or sixth floor, completely separated by allies and alike. The room I was in was dark, only lit by the moonlight above, which shone through the cracks in the walls and poorly structured windows. The fabric floor dug into my thighs, and the dry wallpaper gave no scent. The air was still, but cold, seeping through the unclosed window. The aching pain in my side had woke me up, preventing me from further rest. I wish I had painkillers, but I had to make do with distracting thoughts. A cloth, likely from a bed quilt, was wrapped around my waist, adding pressure to the blood seeping out. The skin and muscle were badly punctured, and it hurt to breathe. Also wrapped in ¡°bandages¡± were both my forearms, which were arguably in worse shape than the waist. The dirty stained teeth of the wolf had punched through the bone in my left, and possibly my right too. My very little history in the field of medicine told me even the strongest painkillers would amount to nothing, and treatment was necessary, and needed soon. But given my situation, I¡¯d have to accept that wasn¡¯t a possibility. My best chance was with Itogaya-san, who had just exited through the bathroom. Itogaya: ¡°I can give you the best care in our scenario, but I won¡¯t make any promises for the long game. Those puncture wounds aren¡¯t friendly.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Really? They feel friendly.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Those will easily get infected, so changing your cloth every few hours will be necessary. Depending on how long we¡¯re here, we can lower that amount.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Besides the obvious, just keep your hands clean, and don¡¯t touch the wound.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Though, I suppose you already know this much, yes?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...What gave it away?¡± Itogaya: ¡°The manner you conducted yourself in the fight. It was clear you refused to put anymore pressure on your side once struck, and also your dressing of Daikubara-san¡¯s wound, earlier.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Do you have history in the medical field?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Part time in a local clinic, that¡¯s all.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Still, it¡¯s a very good use of time. It¡¯s more than saved your life, today.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Mm. But, thanks; for everything.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...No, I should be the last person you thank.¡± Itogaya: ¡°If¡­ I hadn¡¯t let the fox outsmart me, you would be in far better condition.¡± Itogaya: ¡°If we had fought it together¡­ you¡¯d be able to continue moving¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°For that, I¡¯m deeply sorry.¡± Itogaya-san lowered his head and knees, in a bowing position. The distraught nature on his face was enough to set unease deep in my chest. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...And, if you hadn¡¯t come back, I¡¯d definitely be dead.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°That means more to me, than anything.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°So, thank you.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...If it wasn¡¯t for you, also¡­ I¡¯m certain I would have lost that fight.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Eh? How come?¡± Itogaya: ¡°The damage you inflicted on it, specifically its arm, prevented it from performing at full.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I can¡¯t fight. I only have the strength of my body¡­ and that¡¯s it. You, on the other hand¡­ you have experience, don¡¯t you?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I guess you could say that.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Thanks to that experience, and your intuition, we both survived.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Though, not unscathed.¡± ¡­That much was obvious. Cloth was also wrapped around Itogaya-san¡¯s left arm, and his torso, undeniably for the wound across his upper back. The dressing was a lot less tidier than my own, and looked freshly cleaned. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°How are your injuries?¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Not in great condition, but we make do with what we have.¡± Itogaya: ¡°My rhomboid has been torn, making it difficult to walk.¡± And despite that, he managed to drag both himself and me to a safe location. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m quite lucky my spine wasn¡¯t impacted, otherwise the pain would be the least of my concern.¡± Itogaya: ¡°My forearms, however¡­ I would find it tedious to name the muscles punctured.¡± Itogaya: ¡°All that¡¯s needed to know is that both our arms have likely suffered massive nerve damage, and undeniable bone damage.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Not being able to get it treated immediately will have a lasting impact on us.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...So, all I can request is that you don¡¯t strain them any further.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You have to be in worse condition than me, right?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m lucky to have a working right arm. You, however¡­¡± ¡­He says that, but he used that arm to carry me. He¡¯s already strained it beyond belief. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...When I can move, I¡¯ll redress that cloth.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Hm? Don¡¯t be ridiculous, it¡¯s fine.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It¡¯s difficult taking care of yourself compared to others, right?¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Well, I have more experience in doing so than anything else.¡± In regards to Michifuku-san and Tatesada-san, who had both crossed my mind during the conversation, Itogaya-san had left a message in blood on the wall of the store, next to the corpse of the fox. The message was for whoever left the apartment to look for us, after we failed to return in under two hours. There was very little we could do in our position to help them, so we had to pass the torch, relying on others to do their share of helping. Michifuku: ¡°Can you give me a hand?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Oh, sure¡­ uh, what are we doing exactly?¡± Fourty-five minutes had passed since the two were separated. They had attempted both exits several times, but the shutters refused to lift, and the back steel door wouldn¡¯t budge, remaining locked. They were now attempting to climb through the air vent connected from the ceiling to the roof, having ran out of any other options. In between her petite fingers, Michifuku-san held onto a small yen coin. Michifuku: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ one, two, three¡­ one, two, three¨C¡± Michifuku: ¡°There, all done! I¡¯m better at this than I remember.¡± Having removed the vent plate, Michifuku-san, who was being carried upon Tatesada-san¡¯s shoulders, peered into the vent in search of an exit. Michifuku: ¡°Chfff!¡± Michifuku-san brought her head back out instantly, coughing up an unbelievable amount of dust. The noise of the air vent escaped through the store, adding a new filter of sound. Michifuku: ¡°...Okay, second try.¡± She stuck her head back in, holding her breath to keep dust from filling her mouth. The inside of the vent was small and tight, with little room to move. If someone was going to fit in it, it wasn¡¯t Tatesada-san; that much was certain. Michifuku-san was lowered to the floor, brushing dust off her face and upper torso. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Well?¡± Michifuku: ¡°I can definitely fit through, and it doesn¡¯t seem that long either. The only problem is the first turn¡­ since it¡¯s a vertical one.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°You can¡¯t rotate or something?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Yeah, probably. But if I get stuck, I¡¯m screwed¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Plus, I¡¯ll have to bring something to remove the other vent plate. You can¡¯t unscrew them from the inside, and I¡¯ll not be able to use my legs to force it off.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°So maybe we tie something to it, and pull? If we¡¯re strong enough, we might be able to pull it off.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Nope, you¡¯ll just end up damaging the duct, and then we¡¯ll never be able to get it off.¡± Michifuku: ¡°We can¡¯t damage the duct in general; cus then I might not be able to fit through, if it ends up acute.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I barely have enough space to fit through already, so don¡¯t be getting any stupid ideas.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°...Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The two continued walking around the store, searching for useful inventory. The store was smaller on the inside, due to the lined shelves and space taken by desks. The supplies were dense, though unfortunately all foods were out of date. Minerals were found in the freezers, and since the power was on, they were in good condition. Leisure items, e.g. magazines, gift cards and phone chargers weren¡¯t of any use. But what was of use, were the first aid kits and bandages, which were found in the furthest corner of the store. Despite most of the stock in a convenience store were food related, the haul wasn¡¯t nearly as disappointing as expected. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°You can¡¯t push the vent open with a broom or mop?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe, but it depends on how much distance there is.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Though, given the location of the duct¡­ it might work.¡± Michifuku: ¡°The only problem is whether or not a grate is installed in the vent.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°A grate?¡± Michifuku: ¡°To keep small animals from climbing through. It¡¯s just small enough to fit your finger through, so there¡¯s no chance I¡¯m squeezing through it!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°I don¡¯t know, you are small¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°It has its benefits!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°...Yeah, you¡¯re not wrong. Me, on the other hand¡­ I can¡¯t even come up with a good idea.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Nothing I¡¯ve said is gonna work, right?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°E-Eh?¡± Michifuku: ¡°If we just attach some rope to the grate, we should be able to remove it. If there is one.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°What about damaging the duct?¡± Michifuku: ¡°They¡¯re usually placed at enough distance from the vent plate, allowing the animal to climb back up. So even if we do slightly damage the cut, the plate itself should be fine.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...And anyway, at this point there¡¯s no other choice for us. We¡¯ll have to get rid of it either way.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...If it is there.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°...You have a scary amount of knowledge about this stuff, y¡¯know?¡± Michifuku: ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re helping!¡± A small blush enveloped under Tatesada-san¡¯s eyes, while the two searched far and wide for any sort of rope. ¡­ Alone, in the cold dark street walked Daikubara-san, who¡¯s twitching shoulder demanded to rest. Nevertheless, he continued forward, in search of his allies. Daikubara: ¡°Where the hell did they run off too¡­?¡± Understanding we would search the sides of the town first, Daikubara-san thought it best to search the centre. Given the amount of shelter, and the lack of space, he would likely locate us much faster. Besides, if he failed to do so, he could reach the roof of an apartment and use its view to locate us. Daikubara-san had decided to look for us by his lonesome. His reason for this was to not leave Konsako-san and Ishimasu-san without defence. Konsako-san¡¯s broken leg, and Ishimasu-san being a young age, they were much more vulnerable than anyone else; so if Kuro-san was to stay behind, they would have a layer of protection. Daikubara-san was the most able of those three, so he would venture out. I think, even if both his legs had been broken, he would¡¯ve refused to stay still anyway. Having walked through a fair bit of the town, Daikubara-san was losing hope of locating anyone. He had to remain wary of the rabbit, and the possibility of other foes, and so remained silent, though keen to hear. Eventually however, after walking towards the west side of town, Daikubara-san heard a faint sound. A clanging sound, coming from a convenience store¡­ The smell reached him before anything else. The musty, reeking scent of the fox¡¯s fresh corpse doused the clean air, attracting Daikubara-san towards it. Daikubara: ¡°...What the fuck?¡± Next to the fox¡¯s corpse was the bloody bat belonging to the rabbit, which was recently acquired by myself. This piece of information, as well as the blood message messily illustrated on the surface of the store wall, was enough context to influence Daikubara-san¡¯s decision making. ¡°TWO TRAPPED INSIDE - Itogaya¡±. Having checked both entrances, Daikubara-san forced his way up to the convenience store¡¯s roof by moving the outside dumpsters, bitterly bearing the beating pain in his shoulder. He then moved to the source of the ongoing noise - the constant clanging which he had heard dozens of feet away.
BIND GAME RABBIT 12: Nimble CHAPTER 12 RABBIT 12: Nimble
Michifuku: ¡°Pull, Tatesada-san! There¡¯s no way you¡¯re this weak, right?!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°I think you¡¯re the weak one, here¡­¡± Multiple wires belonging to phone chargers were tied to one another in tight knots, and around the grate inside, courtesy of Michifuku-san¡¯s nimbleness. With great effort, the two inside pulled and pulled, hoping to knock the grate from its position, giving them access to the vent plate it defended. Michifuku-san¡¯s arms and legs were cut to shreds, from her short journey through the vent and back. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°How inconvenient can this situation be? O¡¯course they thought to put another blockade in that vent!¡± Michifuku: ¡°Stop whining and help me!¡± Michifuku-san had let go of the cable, presumably coming up with a better idea to loosen the grate. Michifuku: ¡°Lift me up again!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Alright¡­¡± And with little energy to refuse her request, Tatesada-san brought her up to the same position, with her hands still wrapped around the cables inside. Michifuku: ¡°Uppphh!¡± And with youthful energy, she leaped off his shoulders, still hanging onto the cable inside. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Ehhh?!¡± BANG! Michifuku: ¡°Hehe¡­ that¡¯s a good sound, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tatesada-san helped her back up, lifting her into the same position so she could get a better look at the source of the noise. Pushing her head through the vent, she turned to her right, eyeing the grate which had fallen from its earlier height. Michifuku: ¡°Okay, now I just gotta climb through again¡­¡± Like earlier, Michifuku-san climbed through the vents, cutting her limbs on the rough, jagged edges and corners lining the duct, with every slice expelling a sound from her chest. Michifuku: ¡°Ow! Ow, ow ow! OW!!!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not dying in there?!¡± She reached the corner where the horizontal vent rotated to vertical, forcing whoevers inside to climb upwards if they wanted to escape. After reaching this point, Michifuku-san had to slowly rotate herself, so she was facing upwards rather than downwards. This resulted in more long edges slicing through her thighs and forearms. Due to the lack of space, using anything to protect her skin and muscle was futile, as it would only make it impossible to move. After properly rotating to face upwards, Michifuku-san had to move further than before - in order to climb up and reach the vent plate. A lot of stress was placed on the duct, despite Michifuku-san¡¯s light weight. The main problem now was figuring out how to remove the vent plate from the inside. Pulling it down would only result in damaging the duct, possibly making it impossible to remove the plate. And pushing it out would be impossible given the space, and the pressure placed on the duct face below her feet. But, the openings on the vent were spacious enough to allow Michifuku-san¡¯s fingers to slip through, up to her lower knuckles. In her theory, she expected this to be enough room to allow her to use the yen coin on the screws, unscrewing the plate from the outside. Even if it proved unable to work on all four screws, as long as she was able to loosen one or two, she might be able to knock the plate off from the inside with her fist or shoulder. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Passing her right middle finger and thumb through the small gap, Michifuku-san tried to reach the closest screw¡­ but to no avail. There was too much distance in between, and the small yen coin could barely tap against the screw. Michifuku: ¡°Damnit, Tatesada-kun! It won¡¯t reach!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Seriously? Geez, just come back then¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°And get cut to shreds again?!¡± Letting out a defeated sigh, Michifuku-san loosened her grip on the coin¡­ until she felt a cold hand press against her fingertips, taking the item from her. Daikubara: ¡°This¡¯ll do rightly, I think¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Eh? Old man?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Yeah, yeah, you brat. The hell are you doing in there? I knew you were tiny, but this is going a bit too far.¡± Tears of joy overwhelmed her dusty face, as Daikubara-san unscrewed the plate, lifting it off. Daikubara: ¡°Come on up, already. You¡¯re bleeding everywhere!¡± Daikubara¡¯s strong, right arm pulled the girl out, the soft wind blowing the dust from her head. A desperate hug was thrown Daikubara-san¡¯s way, but he held her back, not wanting the dust to fall on him too. Daikubara: ¡°Where¡¯s the other one?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Inside, still. It¡¯s Tatesada-kun. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll fit through¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°You alright in there, kid?¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Eh? Old geezer?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Just wait for a bit, we¡¯ll sort something out to help you.¡± Holding Michifuku-san still, Daikubara-san looked at her wounds. Multiple lacerations were across her thighs and arms, requiring immediate attention to prevent major blood loss. Of course, Daikubara-san had very little to offer in help. Michifuku: ¡°...Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t come unprepared.¡± Pulling small bandages from her pocket, as well as fresh water, Michifuku-san fell to the concrete roof bed, leaning against the base vent she had climbed out of. Daikubara-san roughly covered her lacerations, which quickly stained red. Daikubara: ¡°Before I grab the kid, wanna tell me what the hell happened here?¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Okay.¡± ¡­ Moments before Michifuku-san had registered the vent as a possible escape¡­ Michifuku: ¡°Chargers, huh? Wish I brought my phone¡­¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°H-Hey, did you hear that?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Hm?¡± The two stood in silence for a moment, before Michifuku-san again spoke. Michifuku: ¡°...Yeah, I don¡¯t hear anything.¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°Shh!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­A faint sound. A shrill scream, or maybe even a shriek, echoing through the air vent above. Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°...That, just now¡­ that was¨C¡± Michifuku: ¡°Y-Yeah, no doubt¡­¡± The two listened closer, with more screams being heard over the duration of a few minutes. Michifuku: ¡°W-We should do something!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°What?¡± Michifuku: ¡°I don¡¯t know, yell?! Ask them if they need help?!¡± Tatesada Hakaru: ¡°And attract whatever¡¯s making them scream?¡± Michifuku: ¡°...¡± ¡­ Daikubara: ¡°...I see. You know who it was, making that racket?¡± Michifuku: ¡°No, but¡­ you haven¡¯t seen them, have you? Kobayashi-san or Itogaya-san¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Not exactly, but¨C¡± Michifuku: ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± The scent had reached Michifuku-san¡¯s nose. In morbid curiosity, she peaked over the roof, eyeing the corpse of the fox. Daikubara: ¡°...They killed one of the bastards lurking round here, I think. Some sort of animal, like a fox.¡± Michifuku: ¡°T-There¡¯s so much blood¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°Listen, neither of them are here. Besides, Itogaya left a message on the wall tellin¡¯ me you two were inside. They should be alright.¡± Daikubara: ¡°They couldn¡¯t tell me where they were, though, considerin¡¯ there might be more enemies around¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Ghh¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°You ain¡¯t got a reason to cry. Besides, we gotta get that kid out, and fast¨C¡± A sudden, loud noise echoed through the vent, followed by a yell from Tatesada-san. The two, without exchanging words between one another, rushed to the vent, yelling for the boy. ¡­Which was met by the response of a deep, guttural growl.
BIND GAME RABBIT 13: Bottom of the Mountain CHAPTER 13 RABBIT 13: Bottom of the Mountain
The store fell silent. Tatesada-san had surely been taken, or at least that¡¯s what the two had assumed. Rather, it¡¯s what they wanted to assume, as the alternative was far more difficult to accept. Having spent the last few minutes calling out to Tatesada-san, Michifuku-san gave up, accepting that a response was unlikely. Daikubara-san stopped her from travelling through the vents again, in fear of her tattered body receiving more damage, and of the possibility that something was waiting for them in the store. Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do in their position. Daikubara: ¡°How did it even get in, that bastard?¡± Daikubara-san helped Michifuku-san down from the store¡¯s roof, then followed after her, landing atop the dumpsters he had moved earlier. Michifuku: ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they used the front or back entrances¡­¡± Surely a lot of noise would have been made if the shutters were lifted, and even if they had entered through the doors, they should have been spotted leaving. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Daikubara: ¡°Didn¡¯t sound like the rabbit, did it?¡± Michifuku: ¡°No, maybe it¡¯s friends with this thing¡­¡± Michifuku-san was referring to the cold corpse of the fox, which hadn¡¯t moved an inch from its location of death. Daikubara: ¡°Couldn¡¯t see or hear it coming, or leaving¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Was it inside the entire time? Is it still in there?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Could be¡­ oh¨C¡± She tugged at Daikubara-san¡¯s white undershirt, demanding his immediate attention in a childish way. Daikubara: ¡°What?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Look, there¡¯s a grate here.¡± From the earlier position of the dumpster, before Daikubara-san had moved it to climb atop the store, a grate connecting to an empty abyss below was spotted ingrained in the ground. Daikubara: ¡°Sewers?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Definitely smells like it¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Could be linked to the store, somehow. Were there any trap doors inside?¡± Michifuku: ¡°I don¡¯t know; I didn¡¯t see any, at least.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t one. And given it was hidden under these dumpsters¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Oh, now that I think about it, there are a lot of grates around the town. Maybe there¡¯s a whole sewer system.¡± Daikubara: ¡°It¡¯d be hard to find a town without one.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I can try fitting through this~¡± Daikubara: ¡°You¡¯ll get stuck, moron.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...¡± The possibility Tatesada-san was in the sewers, along with whatever took him, was undeniable. Entering the sewers and searching was their best shot, but not only was it too dark to see inside¡­ finding an entrance was another issue. Using the vent to the store was out of the picture, and no manholes leading to the sewers were discoverable in the town. Michifuku: ¡°...Wait, I think I¡¯ve got an idea!¡± Michifuku: ¡°I was thinking; why the heck¡¯s there no entrance to the sewers? It makes no sense, right?¡± Daikubara: ¡°No shit¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°So I was trying to think about other places with an underground floor¡­ and I remembered one.¡± Michifuku: ¡°The apartments to the south have basements, I think¡­ but they¡¯re locked.¡± Michifuku: ¡°If we can get access to them, then boom! We¡¯ll be able to save Tatesada-kun~¡± Daikubara: ¡°...It¡¯s not a bad play. But how the hell are we getting them open?¡± Michifuku: ¡°There¡¯s someplace we can check out, but first things first¡­ what are we going to do about Kobayashi-san and Itogaya-san?¡± Daikubara: ¡°...There ain¡¯t nothing we can do right now. Besides, I¡¯m supposin¡¯ the two of them are together right now. That should be enough to satisfy you.¡± Michifuku: ¡°...It isn¡¯t.¡± Daikubara: ¡°...Listen, kid. We¡¯ve got our hands full with just one brat.¡± Michifuku: ¡°But¡­¡± Daikubara-san clenched his fist and sighed. When would it get through to Michifuku-san that she couldn¡¯t help everyone everytime? Arguing it wouldn¡¯t do much, and so¡­ Daikubara: ¡°We¡¯ll make another stop, before the apartments.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Michifuku: ¡°Eh?¡± ¡­ Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Is your leg okay, Akihi-aniki?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Just about! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be running anytime soon, though¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re really fast¡­ otherwise you would¡¯ve been toast¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...You can say that again.¡± Konsako-san pulled his leg forward, placing more support on his able one, as the pain grew. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You really could¡¯ve died, right?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Huh? I mean, yeah¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But then why did you let it see you? If it wasn¡¯t for Itogaya-sensei, you really¨C¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You don¡¯t have to drive the point home, Ishimasu-chan. I know.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°So, what is it you want to know?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It¡­ just doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ we¡¯ll never get a chance like this again, so why did you nearly throw it all away for us¡­?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what you¡¯re confused about.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Daikubara-san as well¡­ he didn¡¯t have to run outside after them. He hurt himself earlier, too¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t¡­ but he did.¡± A soft palm was placed on Ishimasu-san¡¯s head. Konsako Akihi: ¡°And it didn¡¯t look like he hesitated, either. Nor when jumping on the rabbit, to make sure Kobayashi-san and Kuro-san could escape.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...It¡¯s the same for me, Ishimasu-san. I can¡¯t hesitate when someone¡¯s in danger.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Why? You don¡¯t have to help others to win, do you¡­?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Well, you could argue against that, but¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Most of all¡­ I just couldn¡¯t let the rabbit reach anyone else. After what happened to Sakakibara-san and Shiroito-san¡­ I felt angry at myself for not trying to help them.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I convinced myself that next time, no matter what happened¡­ I¡¯d step in.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°If other people have to die so I can live¡­ then I don¡¯t want to live.¡± Konsako-san drifted downwards, slanting his wounded leg forward. His bright blue eyes were an ocean¡¯s depth, filled with definite sorrow for the hesitation he held earlier. Even if he had made up for it, he couldn¡¯t forgive himself for it. He could only move forward, and make sure he didn¡¯t hesitate again. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...Oh. I think I get that¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I hate seeing people get hurt too¡­ but it¡¯s hard¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I could never be brave like you and Daikubara-san.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Is it really bravery¡­? I always kinda looked at it like stupidity, haha¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°Someone¡¯s at the door.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Huh? Who?!¡± As if he had forgotten about the shattered bone in his leg, Konsako-san shot up, but almost fell back down when his leg had reacted poorly. Ishimasu-san grabbed hold of his chest, positioning him upward. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I can at least do this, right¡­?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishimasu-chan¡­¡± The two turned towards the door, where Kuro-san stood still, knocking back and forth in communication with whoever was outside. After a moment¡¯s silence, he removed the keycard from his right pocket and swiftly ran it through the card reader, opening the apartment to the town. Shoulder to shoulder in the cold, although one towering over the other, were Daikubara-san and Michifuku-san. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Michifuku-san, are you okay?!¡± Michifuku: ¡°Just some scratches!¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Daikubara-san!¡± Michifuku: ¡°We need your guys¡¯ help.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ah, but-¡± Daikubara: ¡°Shut up and listen for a min¡¯.¡± Daikubara-san dropped the medical kit recovered by Michifuku-san onto the carpeted floor. Daikubara: ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything, but patch yourselves up first. The whole lot of us are heading out.¡± In less than twenty minutes, the group of five had left the apartment and made it halfway across the town, heading towards the south-east factory. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You sure you¡¯ll be fine with that, Michifuku-san?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Sure.¡± Michifuku-san¡¯s wounds were messily dressed in suture threads from the medical ket. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Once we find Itogaya-sensei, he¡¯ll be able to clean it up for you!¡± Kuro: ¡°What do you have in mind, since you¡¯ve brought all of us out here?¡± Daikubara: ¡°I was about to get to that, so listen up.¡± ¡­ Itogaya: ¡°...The main issue is how we open the gate.¡± Itogaya: ¡°The computers in the storage room, and those levers attached to the buildings in town are likely linked to the gate.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But seeing as they are unpowered, accessing the power station should be our first step.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°The factory had a lot of heavy tools, right? We could easily break the power station¡¯s chain lock with them.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm. Though we aren¡¯t in any condition to be breaking it ourselves¡­¡± I picked myself up, pulling against the window sill I sat under. But before I could muster any more strength to even stand, Itogaya-san commanded me to sit back down. Itogaya: ¡°Are your injuries causing you to ignore everything I say? We aren¡¯t in any condition to break that lock, nor even attempt to walk.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Then¡­ What do we do? What¡­ Can we do?¡± My hopeless desperation had begun ascending towards its limit. Despite putting my all into defending the store from the intruding fox, I was still grasping at straws as to how I could help improve the situation, if even slightly. But, I knew I was reaching that limit. Itogaya: ¡°...If we encounter another predator, we won¡¯t be able to fight back; we won¡¯t be able to run.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Our only option is to stay here, and wait¡­ and even then, I can¡¯t confirm our safety.¡± I couldn¡¯t accept that, even though I had to. I guess it doesn¡¯t take a doctor to tell that, either. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m certain those two will find a way out. They should know how to open the power station, as well.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...If you can¡¯t rely on yourself, you can rely on them.¡± Rely on them¡­ rely on others¡­ Would that be enough to calm my beating heart? ¡­ Daikubara: ¡°...That¡¯s basically it. We¡¯ll go in two groups; Group A will go for Tatesada, and Group B will head for the power station.¡± Daikubara: ¡°¡®Course, we¡¯ll have to stop by the old factory first, if we wanna make any progress on getting those doors open.¡± Michifuku: ¡°We¡¯re splitting up at this stage¡­ are we asking to die, or what?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Who¡¯s doing what? Because we can¡¯t put Ishimasu-chan in any danger¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°I know that. That¡¯s why she¡¯s gonna go with you and Kuro to the power station. That way, if things go south, you can make it to the gate or the apartment in time, depending on whether or not you get it open.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...I see, since the distance between the two is about the same.¡± Kuro: ¡°What about his leg? He won¡¯t be running anytime soon.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Would he fare better in a fight?¡± Kuro: ¡°It might¡¯ve been best to leave him behind in the apartment.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No, then you would¡¯ve had to come back to get me after opening the gate.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡¯m fine with risking this, anyway. If¡­ something happens, then I¡¯ll¨C¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Then you¡¯ll run with us, idiot! I don¡¯t care if you have to break your working leg, you¡¯re running!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Pfft¡­ you heard the kid.¡± Under his bright blue eyes, small equally bright teardrops formed. Was it relief¡­ or fear? Michifuku: ¡°What about us, then? I¡¯m not a good fighter, and your arm is barely hanging on¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Speak for yourself, brat. I can¡¯t do this alone.¡± Michifuku: ¡°Ohoh, why¡¯s that? Are you scared?¡± The plan was set in motion. Group A, consisting of Daikubara-san and Michifuku-san, would attempt to rescue Tatesada-san from the underground passage (likely sewer system). Group B, consisting of Konsako-san, Kuro-san and Ishimasu-san, would attempt to break open the door to the south-west power station. No matter the end result, Group B would make their way to the gate or main apartment depending on whether or not the power station was able to activate it. Once the group reached the gate, if it had activated, they would wait no longer than ten minutes for Group A to also reach the gate before leaving without them. But in the darkness of the town, lit densely by the sickly hue of the street light, waltzed a prey no weaker than them.
BIND GAME RABBIT 14: Breaking Down Doors CHAPTER 14 RABBIT 14: Breaking Down Doors
The retired factory towered over the five, uncomfortably silent from the outside. Walking up the unstable steps, they entered the second floor and began their search of the inventory inside. Two items were necessary; something to break open the steel door of the apartment basement, and something to break the chain lock of the power station. The boxes stored on the second floor were mostly empty, with stacks of cardboard pressed against the brick walls. Michifuku-san scavenged the boxes, rubble and corners of the first and second floor in search of something to use. The dark night sky barely gave light to the inside of the factory, making it much more difficult to scavenge. Despite this, Michifuku-san found what she was looking for in no time. Michifuku: ¡°Daikubara-san, over here!¡± Using both her arms, Michifuku-san dragged a cinder block from out of the rubble. She then pulled down a protective net hanging from the ceiling, and placed the cinder block inside of it. Daikubara-san picked up the net, swinging it behind his shoulder with the block still inside. Daikubara: ¡°How the hell¡¯d you even find these?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Experience.¡± The other three were struggling to find their footing, nevermind locate an item of use. Michifuku: ¡°Oh, you guys - here~¡± Michifuku-san kicked two wrenches towards the group, with Kuro-san picking them up. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Will this work?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Mhm, with the right amount of energy. Just apply force on opposite sides of the chain, and it should break!¡± There wasn¡¯t much else of use in the factory, and given the limited time for retrieving Tatesada-san, the five left, making their way towards the south apartments. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re going to break the door with that?¡± Daikubara: ¡°Uhuh.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°From the aforementioned, the door to this basement is the same type as the store, right?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Why not break that one instead?¡± Daikubara: ¡°That¡¯ll be our next target if this basement ends up useless. But given the circumstances, I¡¯m not interested in risking it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°...You won¡¯t risk it, but you¡¯ll chase after that guy anyway?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Eh?¡± Kuro-san unexpectedly inserted himself into the conversation, pointing towards the topic of Tatesada-san¡¯s disappearance. Kuro: ¡°It should be obvious that he¡¯s bait¡­ and you¡¯re still going to search for him?¡± Kuro: ¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Uhuh? So what are you saying? We should power that gate and leave him behind? Kobayashi and Itogaya too?¡± Kuro: ¡°If they wanted him dead, he would be dead. But they chose to drag him into their den.¡± Kuro: ¡°Because they want you to venture after him.¡± Daikubara: ¡°Yeah, yeah. No shit. I know that.¡± Kuro: ¡°Then why¨C¡± Daikubara: ¡°Nonna¡¯ your business. You play your little part, and I¡¯ll play mine. I ain¡¯t relying on you for anything else.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Daikubara: ¡°If you wanna abandon the rest of us, go ahead. I don¡¯t give a damn. But you¡¯re not turning me into more of a coward, either.¡± Kuro: ¡°...¡± Michifuku: ¡°Besides, we actually do need Tatesada-kun¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Assuming we fail to even open the gate from this, we still might be able to power the computers in the storage building.¡± Michifuku: ¡°And those computers might be our way of opening the gate, and we¡¯ll definitely need Tatesada-kun for that, since he knows how to use them. Better than us, at least¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°...That¡¯s fine, then.¡± Leaving it at that, Kuro-san made his way towards the power station with Konsako-san and Ishimasu-san following behind. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...M ake sure you guys come back, okay?¡± Michifuku: ¡°You too! We¡¯re counting on you guys.¡± Daikubara-san was ready to leave without a further word, but was stopped when a small girl pulled on his arm, surely hurting his shoulder. Daikubara: ¡°...What do you want, kid?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You¡¯re the same as Akihi-aniki, right? You don¡¯t wanna see anyone get hurt¡­ Kuro-san couldn¡¯t understand that, but I can.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°¡®Cus, I¡¯m like that too¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, kid. It¡¯s like Michifuku said. We need the brat.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...¡± He separated himself from the small girl, moving forward¡­ Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, Daikubara-san!¡± Daikubara: ¡°...¡± Although she couldn¡¯t see his face, it was obvious from his gesture¡­ Daikubara-san was smiling. Michifuku: ¡°Daikubara-san, wait up! There¡¯s something I forgot to ask you~¡± Daikubara: ¡°What?¡± Michifuku: ¡°Am I a kid or a brat?¡± ¡­ Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Are power places really this tiny?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It gives us less time to waste, at least¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Kuro-san, do you mind?¡± Kuro: ¡°...Mm.¡± Holding the wrenches tight in either hand, Kuro-san fit the ends into the gaps of the chain lock, pulling tensely against the opposite directions. Ishimasu-san lifted the chain and held it in place to offer him more support, and eventually the chain snapped with a loud crack. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Let¡¯s see what we¡¯re dealing with¡­¡± ¡­ Equal to the chain¡¯s crack, loud banging could be heard from the first floor of a south apartment. Daikubara-san swung the net recklessly and fiercely against the hinges of the steel door which blocked them from entry. With each swing, a painful grunt exited his throat. All Michifuku-san could do was sit and watch, knowing she lacked the same strength as Daikubara-san. Soon enough, the hinges of the door were mined off, and the two moved out of the way of the heavy tumbling door. BANG! Michifuku: ¡°That¡¯ll sound like music to Tatesada-kun.¡± Peeking around the corner, a small source of light lit the concrete floor some feet down from where the two stood. It was undeniably a basement, though an improperly unlit one. Carefully watching their steps, they made their way down the dark stairs and reached the spotlight, which shone from the small window in the corner of the basement. The street light from outside had reached through, emanating a manhole positioned in the centre of the lit floor. Lifting the manhole up together, the two stared endlessly into the abyss it covered. Only the rusty tip of the ladder leading down could be seen. Michifuku: ¡°So much for that light¡­ how the heck are we going to navigate down there?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°We might get enough light from the grates. But if we¡¯re climbing into a trap, we¡¯re screwed.¡± Michifuku-san dropped the two hinges belonging to the door into the hole, awaiting the echo it would create when landing. After a few seconds, that echo was heard. Michifuku: ¡°It has to be no less than twenty-feet¡­¡± Daikubara: ¡°I¡¯ll go down first¨C¡± Before he could prove that resolve, a creaking sound forced the two to turn towards the door they had broken down. The wooden floorboards next to the entrance had moved. ¡­ The minute power station was even smaller on the inside, as most space was taken up by large generators, and a ladder connecting to a second floor. There was only one window on the second floor, and the only entrance/exit was the front double door which had been now unlocked. The six generators were all on the first floor, and remained unpowered. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Daikubara-san said there should be spare fuel near the generators. Can you have a look, Kuro-san?¡± Kuro: ¡°...Mm.¡± While Kuro-san searched for the spare fuel inside the building, Ishimasu-san flipped the lids of the generators open to save time. Kuro: ¡°Here.¡± Pulling a locker open, Kuro-san located the barrels of fuels necessary to power the generators. As Konsako-san was unable to properly move, it would be up to Kuro-san and Ishimasu-san to fill the generators themselves. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Quickly - there looks to be enough for all six, but we haven¡¯t got any time to waste.¡± ¡­ The floorboard outside of the basement continued to creak. Something must have heard the two breaking and entering. Michifuku: ¡°D-Daikubara-san, what do we do?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Get away from the light.¡± Pulling her into the darkness, they waited with bated breath as the floorboards creaked louder and louder, the noise getting closer. Who was it¡­ or rather, what was it? No light emitted towards the basement door, meaning whatever was coming wouldn¡¯t be seen; it would be heard. But, that small advantage wouldn¡¯t last much longer, as the floorboards stopped creaking. It was obvious it hadn¡¯t left, as the creaking had only gotten louder right before¡­ It was likely already inside the basement. Michifuku-san held onto Daikubara-san¡¯s arm tightly, trembling in fear of what was to come. The only noise to be heard in the basement were the pitter patter heartbeats of the girl, and the loud thuds building inside the man¡¯s chest. Until¨C -a loud scream was forced out of Daikubara-san, and a dark liquid splattered against Michifuku-san¡¯s pale skin.
BIND GAME RABBIT 15: Vital Sense CHAPTER 15 RABBIT 15: Vital Sense
Leaning against the wall, Konsako-san began to grow worried about the situation outside the power station. Konsako Akihi: ¡°How¡¯s it looking? How much longer till they''re filled?¡± Kuro: ¡°Five minutes, at most.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You can¡¯t go any faster?¡± Kuro: ¡°No.¡± Kuro-san was busy filling the generators with fuel, handed by Ishimasu-san, who was carrying each can towards the centre of the room to quicken the pace. Not even half of them had been filled yet. ¡­ The blade that had entered Daikubara-san¡¯s side was swiftly removed, spraying blood across the basement floor. In an attempt to fight back, Daikubara-san pressed his right hand against the fresh wound, and swung the netted cement block in his left hand towards where he assumed the assailant stood. The attack was delivered with a soft blow against the creature. Michifuku: ¡°D-Daikubara-san, what happened?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Quiet a minute!¡± Michifuku: ¡°Are you hurt?!¡± Daikubara: ¡°I SAID SHUT IT!¡± Daikubara-san silenced the confused girl, knowing that any sound would only give them away. And so, he began to think. Given the lack of impact from the swing, the assailant was undoubtedly still responsive. It must have connected to muscle - perhaps the arm or stomach. But something good did come from the impact; it told Daikubara-san that the assailant had failed to dodge his attack, if not failed to read it in time. With how obvious of an attack it was, it was far more likely the former. This eliminated the possibility of the assailant being a fox, due to their night vision. That is how Daikubara-san was able to determine the assailant was none other than the rabbit. If he can come to understand what is running against the rabbit, then he can surely understand what is running for it; its hearing and blade. The rabbit¡¯s correct prediction of Daikubara-san¡¯s position had to have come from its strong sense of hearing, and the single puncture wound in his side was undeniably that of its knife. I assume Daikubara-san was able to guess so from his earlier wound. And so, with a deep breath and a shaky attempt at calming himself despite the circumstances, Daikubara-san grabbed hold of Michifuku-san¡¯s arm and whispered into her ear, commanding her to follow him out of the basement. The outside streetlights would give them enough vision to fight the rabbit at an advantage. But again¡­ ¡­The rabbit had its hearing running for it. Halfway up the basement stairs, the blade had once again punctured Daikubara-san¡¯s muscle; this time his lower back. The rabbit could easily read the two¡¯s movements, their feet colliding with the concrete stairs. The rabbit thought they had been panicking. But, Daikubara-san was expecting this exact outcome. Once the knife had punctured the first layer of muscle, he had released a strong kick from his hind leg, much like active machinery, sending the rabbit to the bottom of the basement. However, what Daikubara-san failed to predict was just how much pain he would find himself in as he found two new punctures in his body. The second the knife had left his body, Daikubara-san fell forward, then toppled back, falling down the stairs with the rabbit. Although Michifuku-san reached out to him, he didn''t even have the vision to grab hold. Rolling down the steps, Daikubara-san hit the ground hard, landing next to the rabbit. Michifuku: ¡°DAIKUBARA-SAN!¡± The rabbit quickly picked itself back up in search of the blade it had dropped. Although Daikubara-san could not see the rabbit, he had a good idea of what it was trying to do, and so he quickly laid out his options as his body writhed. He knew he could battle the rabbit for the knife, but thought that heading for the exit would give him the best chance at defeating it, despite his injuries. However, he soon realised that escaping was not an option. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The pain in his right knee was overshadowed by that in his torso, but he could tell something was wrong as he applied the slightest pressure to it when attempting to flee. It was fractured; possibly broken. So, he began to crawl towards the light, shouting towards Michifuku-san for a hand. She dragged him upwards by the shoulders, trying to reach the light before the rabbit could locate its weapon. Michifuku: ¡°Crap, we need to find the others!¡± Daikubara: ¡°Ghh¡­¡± Ignoring the intense pains circulating through his body, he listened for the slightest sounds from the bottom of the basement. In mere seconds, he would surely reach the light¡­ but at the same time, the rabbit wouldn¡¯t struggle to catch up to them once it found the knife. And if it did, they would have no choice other than to deal with it then and there, with Daikubara-san¡¯s injuries playing against them. But, they hadn¡¯t even the chance to reach a levelled floor. The small clinking of metal against the solid floor had been picked up by both the rabbit and the prey. That was enough of an indication for Daikubara-san to make his next move. Daikubara: ¡°Michifuku¡­ can you¡­ do something stupid for me?¡± Michifuku: ¡°...Huh?¡± The rabbit spun the knife in its left hand, and began strutting towards the commotion. Without being noticed, it made its way up the steps one by one to finish off Daikubara-san, without an ounce of effort needing applied. Daikubara-san allowed seconds to pass after the knife¡¯s collision had been heard, and then acted. The rabbit had no time to react, as it didn¡¯t even know what had hit it. Mere seconds after setting its front foot on the third step, heavy mass had fallen on top of it, sending it back down the few steps and onto the cold floor again. Desperately trying to shove off whatever had landed on it, the rabbit quickly realised that what pinned it down was no object, but rather a person; Daikubara-san. Daikubara: ¡°OVER HERE, MICHIFUKU!¡± Having already pinned the rabbit down to the floor once, Daikubara-san knew of its tricks. Before the knife could pierce him once more, he had grabbed hold of the rabbit¡¯s left arm, holding it against the surface below. Whilst the rabbit struggled to move, Michifuku-san took hold of the blade and raised it above its head. The rabbit didn¡¯t require sight to see what was coming, and so, swiftly, it had managed to pop one leg into position. What Daikubara-san had also failed to estimate was that the rabbit wouldn¡¯t rely solely on offensive weapons, as it had proved it was willing to use its ears for its advantage¡­ as well as this time; its legs. With a charged kick, Daikubara-san was sent flying back against the wall, much more than before in the apartment. His head bounced against the concrete basement wall, surely sending the brain inside his skull flying. Michifuku-san was next, being swept under the leg by the rabbit before she could successfully stab it. And with the clinking of the knife against the concrete floor, the rabbit knew exactly where to look this time. Perhaps Daikubara-san¡¯s fault was focusing too much on the hidden blade of the rabbit, as it had inflicted the most damage on him¡­ but the kick was far more powerful, as it presented the rabbit the opportunity to flee. However, the rabbit wasn¡¯t planning on running. It wanted to finish off its prey. Moving towards the groaning Michifuku-san, who would be able to escape if given the chance, the rabbit prepared to end her new life. Not aware that the beast was directly above her, she called out to her only companion in the room, who was out cold. Michifuku: ¡°Daiku¡­ bara-san¡­ wake up¡­¡± Michifuku: ¡°Daikubara¡­¡± The knife hung above her, ready to fall¨C ¨CFlicker. It wasn¡¯t for a long duration of time, but it was long enough to give Michifuku-san the opportunity to move. Upon the wall she was facing, the shadow of the rabbit was casted, telling her its exact location. And so, she moved. The rabbit pierced vertically, its blade clipping against the concrete floor and being flung into the dark. The room remained in darkness. Was the light¡¯s flicker by chance, or something more divine? No matter what, it presented an opportunity. Michifuku-san kept silent, lowering her breath to the point it was absent to even herself, waiting for the chance to make a move as she had no clue where the rabbit was. The remaining advantage of the rabbit, the darkness, had been burnt once more, as the lights in the basement flickered not once, not twice; but permanently, lighting the room in its yellow-white hue. The preys and predators had been unveiled, as well as the blade they both relied desperately on. And as if on their side, the knife had been spotted by both parties next to the feet of Michifuku-san. In an instant, she lowered herself to reach the weapon without presenting vulnerability in her stance, pointing the tip of the blade towards the threat. The rabbit grasped its injured right arm, and with little intention of risking a loss by playing with its prey further, it scoffed at it before abandoning the basement, shooting itself upwards to the exit using its hind legs. Falling to her knees, Michifuku-san began crawling towards the unconscious Daikubara-san, who had put his body on the line to defeat the rabbit. They could take a moment to breathe once again, with the threat of the rabbit currently bare. They had fought for another chance, but¡­ ¡­They hadn¡¯t even set foot in the sewers. ¡­ Wiping sweat from her brow, Ishimasu-san dribbled the remainder of a fuel can into the sixth generator, filling it to near max. Kuro-san had soon enough connected the cables to the outlets, turning the generators on. And one by one, sections of the town breathed. The power station, the apartments, the buildings in the centre of the town, the factory and the storage building¡­ as well as the basement of the apartment. They all lit with a flicker, before coming to life in a near instant. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Thanks, you two¡­ looks like the whole town¡¯s alive.¡± Konsako-san had opened the doors to the power station, looking outwards at the buildings enclosed in the town. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Wanna get that gate open?¡±
BIND GAME RABBIT 16: Shared Trait CHAPTER 16 RABBIT 16: SHARED TRAIT
At that time, why did he risk his life? If he had kept quiet alongside me, the rabbit likely wouldn¡¯t have noticed us. And if it did encounter Daikubara-san and the others, it might have lost against them - considering it wasn¡¯t that strong to begin with. So why did he distract it, when he knew it could cost him so much? Why was he fighting to live, when he was so eager to give up his own life for the sake of others? It¡¯s not like I have any room to talk, but¡­ it irked me. How far do you plan on making it with will like that? ¡­ Standing still and silent in front of the metal gate, Ishimasu-san pushed and pulled at the blunt bars, while Konsako-san looked for any indication as to how to open it. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ghh¡­ it¡¯s no use. What else do we have to do?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I cut my finger on the sharp stuff¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°She didn¡¯t mention we could climb the gate.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...I don¡¯t think I could, with this leg. And it¡¯s too dangerous for Ishimasu-chan too.¡± Kuro-san stared endlessly at the gate, Konsako-san¡¯s message not getting across the way he intended. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Besides, we have to escape with everyone, right? Even if you could, you¡¯d only be leaving the rest of us behind.¡± Running his fingers against the pickets¡¯ edges, Kuro-san stared past the gate, towards the tall building barely visible through the thick darkness. Ishimasu-san pressed her face through the gaps next to him. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It looks really far away¡­ it¡¯ll take forever to walk there.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ that¡¯s why we¡¯ll need as many people as possible, since some of us can¡¯t even walk straight.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°So let¡¯s get going.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Where?¡± Konsako-san walked from the gate, reflecting on the plans previously made. The agreement was, that if the gate still refused to open, that the three would wait inside of the rabbit¡¯s apartment, given Kuro-san¡¯s possession of the keycard. However¡­ Kuro: ¡°Ten minutes.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What?¡± Kuro: ¡°If the gate was open, we would only need to wait ten minutes before leaving.¡± Kuro: ¡°I¡¯m willing to leave now.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But¡­ the gate isn¡¯t open¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°We can climb it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I already told you, I can¡¯t¨C¡± Kuro: ¡°We¡¯re next to the factory. We could probably find something to help lift you up.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°But the barbed wire¨C¡± Kuro-san raised his right hand, which held on to the bolt cutter. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...¡± And with that, he began scaling the likely fifteen-foot tall gate with little effort, the tips of his black shoes fitting through the pickets¡¯ gaps. Having reached the barbed wire, Kuro-san used his teeth to grip the handles of the bolt cutter, and wrapped his gakuran around his waist and to a picket of the gate, before slicing through the barbed wire in front of him. He had cleared a path for himself to make it through without risk. Quickly jumping down and redressing, he began making his way to the factory. Ishimasu-san and Konsako-san had yet to speak up, uncertain if they could convince the unusually determined boy. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Kuro-san, wait. Do you really think this is the best idea?¡± Kuro: ¡°We can wait the ten minutes if you want, but I¡¯d rather get sorted first.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No, I mean - I don¡¯t think we should leave anyone behind, even if the gate was open.¡± Kuro: ¡°Why?¡± Surprised by his lack of understanding, Konsako-san struggled to answer. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°We have to open it¡­ right? So everyone can get through¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°They should be able to climb it.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But what if they can¡¯t?¡± Kuro: ¡°Then they can open it themselves.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Konsako-san stepped between the two. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Why can¡¯t you just wait for everyone, then? If they can climb it, then we can leave together.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Just wait¡­¡± Kuro: ¡°No one is coming.¡± ¡­ Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not true¡­¡± A weak response, certainly¡­ but it spoke true to her feelings. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°They¡¯ll be okay¡­ they will be.¡± Did she even believe her own words? Kuro: ¡°We don¡¯t know where the doctor and the other girl are.¡± Kuro: ¡°Those two are likely in the sewers by now, if not already dead. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be returning.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...¡± Kuro: ¡°We can¡¯t help them, either. We should leave while whatever¡¯s out there is distracted.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Are you calling them bait?¡± Kuro: ¡°They made their choice.¡± The cold street was silent, with no response to his words necessary. He wouldn¡¯t come to an agreement, because they simply viewed the lives of others differently. Despite knowing a response wouldn¡¯t help the situation, he couldn¡¯t help himself but interject further. Despite knowing nothing could convince him¡­ ¡­He was getting emotional. But before the blue eyed boy could speak¡­ ¡°We have a number¡¯s advantage.¡± Kuro turned to his right without taking a breath, staring down the man who had entered the open street through the alleys of the town. ¡­ The sudden light that began shining through my closed eyes had woken me from the dream I was almost lost in. Whatever I was dreaming about must have been much better than the reality I was facing, but I had no time to dwell on that. Something had changed. Itogaya: ¡°I was about to wake you.¡± Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on?¡± Itogaya-san was still, staring out the apartment window towards the direction of the south-west apartments, where the power station stood. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m assuming whoever turned the power on will be heading towards the gate.¡± Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ll determine that when I see them.¡± Minutes passed. Itogaya: ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°Who is it¡­?¡± Itogaya: ¡°That boy¡­ he distracted the rabbit while you retrieved the keycard, no?¡± ¡­Konsako-san. Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°Is he stupid¡­? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s alone¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Ishimasu-kun is lending him a hand¡­ and it seems like Kuro-kun is leading them.¡± Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°The others aren¡¯t with him¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°It would seem so.¡± I had to wonder where they could be, but given the time likely passed, and those within the group¡­ someone had to have told them where the power station and gate were. Michifuku-san and Tatesada-san¡­ Itogaya: ¡°Lift your arms.¡± Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°Eh?¡± Itogaya-san picked at the dressing around my waist for a minute, before allowing me to lower my arms. Itogaya: ¡°This will need redressing urgently¡­ but there isn¡¯t any suitable cloth in this room, including my own clothing.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Can you wait for a little longer?¡± ¡­Is that a question, or a demand? Kobayashi Ayamo: ¡°...I got myself into this mess.¡± Itogaya: ¡°...We¡¯ll work together to get back out of it.¡± ¡­ Itogaya: ¡°The only advantage we have currently, are our numbers.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Itogaya-sensei?!¡± The small girl ran towards him, before stopping as his injuries came into view. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°A few light scratches...¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Where¡¯s Kobayashi-san?¡± He sat on the cold pavement, letting out a visible breath. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough from your conversation to mostly understand what¡¯s occurred the last hour.¡± Itogaya: ¡°You want to leave now, Kuro-kun. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± He softly nodded. Itogaya: ¡°But are you certain you¡¯ll be able to survive on your own?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I left Kobayashi-kun at the store for less than a minute, before finding her to be almost dead.¡± Itogaya: ¡°And now, I need to help her. There isn¡¯t enough dressing to keep the bleeding from continuing, and I have no means to cauterise the wound.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Which is why I¡¯m requesting your assistance.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask¨C where is she?¡± Itogaya: ¡°It isn¡¯t you I¡¯m asking, Konsako-kun.¡± The tired doctor looked up towards Kuro-san, still in between the factory and gate. Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun, would you mind lending a hand?¡± Kuro: ¡°What condition is she in?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Keeping it brief, it isn¡¯t good. Her wound is still fresh, but it won¡¯t take long before it becomes infected. I need whatever I can get to prevent that, but with my battered body¡­ it¡¯ll be difficult to fetch all of it on my own.¡± Kuro: ¡°Once you help her, will she be able to fend for herself?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Not for a while.¡± Kuro: ¡°Then can you expect her to walk the distance from here to the next building?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Not without help.¡± Kuro: ¡°You¡¯ll need me for that help.¡± Itogaya-san wore a grin as Kuro-san caught on. Itogaya: ¡°Assuming we can¡¯t locate the others in time, and we manage to open that gate - we¡¯ll need you to help carry Kobayashi-san.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Unless we plan on staying here a lot longer than we want to.¡± Kuro: ¡°I doubt she¡¯ll be of any help in her state.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We won¡¯t know until we reach the next section - if there is one.¡± Kuro: ¡°We won¡¯t reach it if we spend too much time on the wounded. The four of us could leave now, alive.¡± Kuro: ¡°From what I know, the ¡°fox¡± almost killed that girl, and it looks like it wasn¡¯t far from finishing you off either.¡± Kuro: ¡°She was in fine condition before; so it had to have been a strong threat.¡± Kuro: ¡°I¡¯d rather not find out what else is waiting for us, here.¡± He stepped in once more. Konsako Akihi: ¡°We¡¯re not leaving with you, Kuro-san. Not without everyone.¡± The small girl nodded in agreement. Konsako Akihi: ¡°If you want to leave, we can¡¯t stop you¡­ but we¡¯re helping Kobayashi-san. You should come with us.¡± And to add on¡­ Itogaya: ¡°We still have the numbers advantage, even if just us four. If you leave now, you lose that.¡± Itogaya: ¡°At the very least, we can determine what exactly we¡¯re facing in this town, and come up with a decent strategy.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Though you seem relatively smart, Kuro-kun. I¡¯m certain you¡¯ve realised this already.¡± The bitter air ate away at the fours¡¯ faces, as a response hung still. It seemed like the final comment from Itogaya-san had bothered him. If Kuro-san had already determined his disadvantage, what was the point in leading them this far? Konsako Akihi: ¡°We¡¯re wasting time right now. You don¡¯t have to leave right now, so come up with your answer after you see Kobayashi-san.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Lead us to her, sensei.¡± He limped towards the sitting doctor, clearly frustrated by the situation as his furrowed eyebrows presented an unkempt look on his face. No more time was to be wasted, and so Ishimasu-san ran behind him, before looking back at Kuro-san one last time, nervously awaiting his response. Kuro-san wasn¡¯t a fool, but it was clear at this point he held a stubborn personality behind that blank exterior. And so, despite his protests, he followed them, giving the gate one last look as if to imprint it in his mind. ¡­ Konsako Akihi-san, who found himself in an accident at twenty-one, to the fault of no intentions¡­ ¡­What was he searching for, outside reclaiming his own life? He seemed frustrated when faced with the inability to do anything, especially when it came to helping others. So, when the time presented itself, did he act without thinking, or was he always thinking? Finding it difficult to relate to those different from him, Konsako-san couldn¡¯t help but be irritated by Kuro-san¡¯s lack of understanding. But they were both stubborn to a fault.
BIND GAME RABBIT 17: Night Sky CHAPTER 17 RABBIT 17: Night Sky
Whatever was making noise in the store wasn¡¯t one of us; wasn¡¯t human. The place was in disarray, with shelves knocked to the floor and the inventory torn apart. The back door was no longer connected to its hinges, having blasted towards the front of the store. Whatever took that door down wasn¡¯t one of us; wasn¡¯t human. Konsako-san slowly walked the young girl out of the store, not turning his back on the noise building from the staff room. Kuro-san followed him. No words had been spoken between the three, as they came to the census that this place never belonged to them. However, one person stood completely aware of what was inside, yet showed no hesitation to walk forward. Itogaya: ¡°Calm down; it¡¯s not going to cause any issues.¡± He said with conviction, taking a deep breath as he steadied his heartbeat. The doctor pointed to the blood pulled against the walls, leading to the staff room. The creature was injured. Itogaya: ¡°It¡¯s not a threat.¡± In disbelief at his assumption, Kuro-san spoke out. Kuro: ¡°It¡¯s cornered and wounded, and you¡¯re asking to approach it?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I never said anything about approaching the creature.¡± Kuro: ¡°We don¡¯t draw the line. It does.¡± Itogaya: ¡°It should be aware not to draw the line past where it can cross.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Where¡¯s the stuff you need?¡± Itogaya: ¡°The first-aid kits and medication are likely behind the reception counter. Food, water and clean cloth however¡­ you¡¯ll have to look through the shelves.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Okay, but¡­ we can¡¯t let Ishimasu-chan inside.¡± Although hesitant to lose numbers, he agreed. Itogaya: ¡°Then Kuro-kun, can you-¡± Kuro: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I understand you have no interest in risking your life, however¡­ these supplies are valuable to all; including you. You understand that much, don¡¯t you?¡± The boy¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Kuro: ¡°We won¡¯t starve in one day. We can go without water for a couple more; or drink from the tap.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Assuming the water is safe to drink.¡± Kuro: ¡°It isn¡¯t worth the risk.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Do you know exactly how long we¡¯ll be here?¡± That question had yet to be asked. Perhaps we were trying our best to ignore the possibility of spending another minute in this town; in this game. However, it needed to be approached. Just how long did we have to fight against these circumstances? When would this game end? Itogaya: ¡°We have to keep moving forward for this game to end. But we don¡¯t know when it will end.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Eight people. Eight people are all we have to work with.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Three missing, two injured, one incapacitated. That leaves us with two capable.¡± Itogaya: ¡°That includes a child.¡± Itogaya: ¡°You can certainly argue against eating and drinking, for now.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But, we¡¯re wounded and cornered¡­ don¡¯t make us starve, too.¡± They both grew increasingly tense¡­ until the boy made his way to the knocked shelves, and began lifting them in search for supplies. Not a word exited his mouth, but he too understood that what was worse than a cornered or injured animal¡­ was a starved one. The four were equipped with defences brought from the factory; foreign objects to utilise in time of need that were easy to carry. At the very least, they could force damage on the creature if it were to approach them. But to Itogaya-san, that seemed far too unlikely. I¡¯m certain Kuro-san was also realising so, but that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d leave his back open to the door. Minutes passed. Soon, aside from the continuing noise of the cornered creature, one could hear the shuffling of cupboards, prescription bottles, shelves and boxes from outside. Minutes passed. Minutes continued to pass. The two outside grew nervous in their wait; Ishimasu-san beginning to slide against the wall, cupping her knees against her chest. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Don¡¯t sit down. You need to be ready to move.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I¡¯m a bother¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It¡¯d be easier for everyone if I wasn¡¯t here¡­ then they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± He had no response. Surely, he wanted to tell her otherwise¡­ but it was difficult to deny the frustration he felt having to worry about her also. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It was the same before¡­ I¡¯m sure after I died¡­ they didn¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± The girl mumbled to herself, without shedding so much as a tear. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Maybe they¡¯re happy now.¡± ¡­She looked up towards Konsako-san, who still hadn¡¯t found a response. His thick pink bangs covered his eyes, and he had pulled his face mask up to cover his mouth. He wasn¡¯t even looking at her. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°If I could change spots¡­ with Kobaya-¡± -The automatic doors opened before she could force those words out, as the two inside had left. And, the doctor shook his head; his hands empty. In short sentences, Itogaya-san explained that the medication and first-aid kit weren¡¯t in the reception; neither were they hiding under the shelves, ventilation or the dumpsters. And, they had to have existed¡­ as Michifuku-san only carried one out of the vent with her. Which left one possibility¡­ ¡­The staff room. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Do you know what¡¯s inside?¡± Itogaya: ¡°There are fixed windows connecting to the room. Kuro-kun was able to determine the creature.¡± The rabbit, clumsily treating itself with the first-aid. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Can you beat it?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Maybe if Kuro-san, or even you try-¡± Kuro: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± He said, slinging the bag of goods around his shoulder. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Then, Itogaya-sensei¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°...¡± The doctor was silent, refusing to make eye contact. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun and I gathered food and water before we left, along with clean cloth.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Wait¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°We have to make do with what we have.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Itogaya-sensei-¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ll come back later for more supplies, if necessary-¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°ITOGAYA!¡± Unlike the small girl, who had jumped at the loud sound, the doctor was motionless. He couldn¡¯t even look at the pink-haired boy. Konsako Akihi: ¡°What¡¯s with you¡­? You¡¯ve gone out of your way to risk your life time and time again, but this time you can¡¯t?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Did you have a change of heart, or something?¡± Itogaya: ¡°That was before we fell to five.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Fell to- we still have eight! The others are just-¡± Itogaya: ¡°Konsako-kun.¡± He understood. He understood, but he didn¡¯t want to understand, because then he would be admitting his powerlessness. The boy who was so keen on risking his life for others, the boy who lacked an understanding for his own wellbeing¡­ He couldn¡¯t comprehend the doctor¡¯s ability to switch that off; to look past others, and focus on himself. Even if it was logical, even if it made sense¡­ He felt alone. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m not trading blood.¡± But- Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Then, can we approach it without fighting?¡± Itogaya: ¡°What?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have to hurt one another. Maybe we can get what we need without putting one another at risk.¡± Kuro: ¡°Approaching the rabbit is putting one another at risk. Standing here, doing nothing, is putting us at risk.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It might not want to fight¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Kuro-kun is right. Even with your plan, we don¡¯t know if the rabbit can communicate. It might be fruitless, and might get us hurt or worse.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Oh.¡± He thought back to his encounter with the rabbit. Konsako Akihi: ¡°When Kobayashi-san and I encountered the rabbit, I got its attention by yelling at it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°But that wasn¡¯t enough, and so it continued ignoring me-¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°-Until I acted as if I didn¡¯t know it was a threat.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It charged towards me after the specific words that told it I was prey.¡± Itogaya-san seemed surprised, and then he thought for a minute. Could there possibly be a way to communicate between prey and predator, without blood being spilt? The rabbit had attacked mercilessly and without hesitation, there was no telling what it would do under threat while injured. But¡­ if there¡¯s the chance, just the slightest chance the rabbit could be reached¡­ Itogaya: ¡°...Ok.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ll approach the rabbit.¡± And as the night sky refused to change its mind and move, the two of them had changed theirs. Twenty minutes had passed, and I found myself tended to by Ishimasu-san. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Um-¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kobayashi-san. It¡¯s just me.¡± She can remember my name, but I can¡¯t remember hers. I can just blame that on my side, right? Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Well, sensei and Akihi-aniki are in the store. Kuro-san is in the bathroom.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°My dog got bit by another dog once¡­ it¡¯s kinda close to your bite.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Except, you have a hole in your stomach too.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Haha¡­ this is a lot more blood than I was expecting.¡± The girl tried to chuckle out, as she battled the urge to vomit. She began redressing my wound with clean cloth, and although it wasn¡¯t to the level of Itogaya-san¡¯s, she did fairly well. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Does it hurt a lot? I know it probably does, but am I-¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re not hurting me, if that¡¯s what you mean.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I¡¯d fix it myself, but I guess I¡¯m not in the position for that.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Next to Itogaya-san, you¡¯d be my choice.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I doubt that¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You¡¯re gentle. I could tell from when I first met you, and I can tell right now.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Speaking of Itogaya-san, you said him and Konsako-san were in the store?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°...Uhuh.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What¡¯re they doing?¡± The girl bit her lip, no longer cleaning my wounds. I heard the tap in the bathroom turn off, and Kuro-san stepped out. Kuro: ¡°They have ten minutes left.¡± ¡­ The dripping, by now, had stopped. The puddle that formed below began to darken, filling in the gaps of the tiled floor. The cool breeze seeping through the closed door passed through two pairs of feet, and one pair of paws. The rabbit, and the two humans. Itogaya: ¡°Then, we should start as such.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Can you, once again, raise your right¡­ paw, to confirm you understand what I am saying?¡± And like it did before, the rabbit raised its right paw slowly, whilst continuously throwing its pupils back and forth, against the two humans. Itogaya: ¡°...Ok.¡± Letting out a sigh, though not one of relief, Itogaya-san accepted the challenge in front of him. The rabbit hadn¡¯t yet settled, having its legs in a position where it could quickly escape through the upper window, though not without further injuring itself. It understood too, that neither party could afford to shed more blood. But¡­ if the rabbit, for even a moment, thought it could take both humans down without so much as a scratch¡­ Itogaya: ¡°I can treat your wounds, in exchange for some of the supplies you took from the reception.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But first, I need to determine your wounds. Can you present them to me?¡± The rabbit blinked, and began to stand; albeit slowly. It began pointing at the affected areas on its body, which included its right eye and arm (courtesy of Daikubara-san), and waist. While it did so, Konsako-san looked nervously towards Itogaya-san. Although it was his idea, he couldn¡¯t help but grow anxious¡­ though it was understandable, considering their previous altercation. Itogaya: ¡°Can I inspect your body?¡± In an instant, the rabbit shot back down. The fast movement forced it into a coughing fit, but not once did it remove its eyes from the two. Itogaya: ¡°...Then I can¡¯t help you.¡± Forcing blood out of its mouth, the rabbit began to clench its fist, as it stared tirelessly into the doctor¡¯s eyes. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Wait, how about you¡­ just have it follow your movements?¡± Itogaya: ¡°What?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°If you raise your right arm, it raises its own. That way, you can properly inspect the injuries without invading its space.¡± The doctor wasn¡¯t used to patients putting up such a fight, but he had no choice other than to adapt. In the following minutes, he began to inspect the rabbit¡¯s wounds from a distance, by having it follow along to his movements. The pulling of the eyelids, the moving of the arms¡¯ joints, and the showcasing of its waist injury. He squinted again and again, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared at the rabbit¡¯s wounds. And, after that time passed¡­ he sat down once more, closed his eyes and¡­ Konsako Akihi: ¡°Itogaya-sensei?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Hyphema in the right eye, infection likely.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Right arm, fractured bone; with how the joint is moving, it¡¯s likely the humerus that¡¯s suffered the blow.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Puncture wound to the internal oblique muscle, likely reached the small intestine. Infection undeniable.¡± He then stood up, and began searching the staff room top to bottom. Itogaya: ¡°Konsako-kun, to your right. Toss it to me.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Oh, sure.¡± He caught the packet and began to read the details. Itogaya: ¡°Rabbit, can you read?¡± It slowly raised its right paw. Itogaya: ¡°Follow the instructions on the back. This is for your eye.¡± He tossed it to the rabbit who quickly caught it. Itogaya: ¡°You need a splint for your arm. You can use a table leg.¡± Itogaya: ¡°As for your waist, you would benefit most from resting for the next¡­ however long.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Find someplace safe, that won¡¯t require you to move around too much. Prop your legs up on something so they¡¯re above your chest. You¡¯ll need that blood flow.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Keep the wound clean and redress it every so often. You¡¯re suffering internal bleeding, but the puncture to your intestine is likely minute. It should heal by itself given time.¡± Before speaking his next word, Itogaya-san¡¯s eyes grew in concern for the quickest second, before falling back down. Itogaya: ¡°As for infections, they won¡¯t settle in until later. For now, don¡¯t eat, don¡¯t drink. And keep pressure on the wound, that way you only have to worry about internal bleeding.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Oh, and take these antibiotics.¡± The doctor continued, likely to find out what the rabbit could and couldn¡¯t understand. And as his diagnosis came to a close, Konsako-san moved towards Itogaya-san, so the rabbit could quickly leave through the staff door. In seconds, it was gone, the pitter patter of its footsteps fading into the town¡¯s fog. The two had no words to share. They collected from the room what they needed, and made their way to the apartment. The altercation was less than conceivable, and yet¡­ it pumped the blood through Konsako-san¡¯s body even faster. For a reason he couldn¡¯t understand¡­ he was excited. ¡­ Itogaya: ¡°We don¡¯t need the ten minutes.¡± The doctor grinned, pushing the door open. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Sensei!¡± Kuro: ¡°...¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯re alive.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Sorry you had to wait, Kobayashi-kun.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...You better be.¡± The doctor approached me, my right arm raised above my head for some time to keep my blood flowing properly. Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ll discuss everything I need to, in the next few moments¡­ but for now, I¡¯ll have to ask the rest of you to leave me alone with Kobayashi-kun.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Why?¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but¡­ don¡¯t drink from the taps. If you need to wash your hands, use the water bottles from the store.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Understand?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°We¡¯ll wait outside.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡­ The three stood outside the apartment, with Kuro-san watching the stairs closely. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯re okay.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°When you talked about the rabbit, I thought you were going crazy¡­ but it worked, didn¡¯t it?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°It worked, thanks to Itogaya-sensei. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But you knew it could work¡­ how?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t, but¡­ it just came to me. I¡¯ve seen a lot of blood being spilt today, but it only occurred to me then, that maybe it wasn¡¯t our only option.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You¡¯re really helpful.¡± Ishimas Kanana: ¡°...Unlike me.¡± And expecting to once again be met with silence, the girl held back her tears, as if she wasn¡¯t allowed to share them. ¡­But, a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder. Konsako Akihi: ¡°No one should be hurt. No matter what, no one should have to bleed.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°And if there¡¯s a choice¡­ a choice that can keep that from happening, I want to make it.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Even if you hurt yourself?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid that, definitely. But sometimes there isn¡¯t a choice.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°You can make choices too, Ishimasu-chan. So that means you can be helpful.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But your choices are always more important than mine, cus¡¯ I never get a say in anything.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°They¡¯re not more important. You¡¯re just agreeing with those choices, even if you don¡¯t like them.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°We can¡¯t force you to do anything, but you understand what we¡¯re doing is best for you too, that¡¯s why you¡¯re agreeing, isn¡¯t it?¡± She pouted. Konsako Akihi: ¡°You don¡¯t want to worry anyone, huh?¡± He walked towards the complex¡¯s window, as the night sky stayed put, and began to rest his palm against the cold glass. Konsako Akihi: ¡°But no amount of worry can compare to the pain you feel through loss.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°So I¡¯ll choose to worry about you everyday, instead of wishing I could.¡± The mask he wore was no longer on, as he painted his face with a big smile, his blue eyes hiding behind closed eyelids. And, the girl began to share her tears. ¡­Although this sky doesn¡¯t change, we can.
BIND GAME RABBIT 18: Nimbostratus CHAPTER 18 RABBIT 18: Nimbostratus
I¡¯ve never thought of helping others, whatever the repercussions, to be something uncommon. I assumed altruism could be found in almost anyone. It was only natural to me; like passing an umbrella to someone lost in the rain. I couldn¡¯t hesitate to help, which could be seen as both a quality and a flaw. My parents raised me with such in mind, but they worried when I came home with bruises. My teachers taught me to respect and care for my peers, but grew impatient when it interfered with education. And the ones I passed my umbrella to; they kept it for themselves, when others were lost in the rain. When it pours, there are two certainties: You can pass the umbrella to another, in return for the rain; or hold your umbrella tightly. ¡­That¡¯s why I want to be someone who can pass their umbrella to someone who chose to stand in the rain. ¡­ The apartment complex¡¯s interior halls were clattered and had begun collecting dust. At first, I thought only the flock wallpaper had been torn by the claw marks that ran across the wall. But on closer inspection, I realised the wall itself had been damaged, revealing the wire beneath like veins. Each step on the wooden floorboard made me question whether I would fall through, yet Ishimasu-chan seemed courageous enough to lean against the chipped wood railing of the stairs. And though aware of the noise the floorboards made, Kuro-san continued to monitor the apartment¡¯s entrance through the gaps between the stairs. I, on the other hand, rested against the cold radiator fixated on the wall opposite the stairs. A quick glance every few minutes towards the dirty windows overlooking the town was all that could keep me distracted from the numbing pain in my right leg. Before leaving for the town, Itogaya-sensei had equipped me with a makeshift splint, utilising the wood of the apartment beds and tables, and the wrapping of cloth. My right foot was a level above the left, positioned atop a bridge made between the splints. It wasn¡¯t comfortable, and it was hard to walk in, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to move without it. According to sensei, the broken bone was in the knee. I was probably lucky I got off with a small ¡®fracture¡¯ and bruise, compared to the other guys. But I wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on my speed like before. If the rabbit had attacked me again, in a similar scenario¡­ I would¡¯ve died. But Itogaya-sensei saved me. When I couldn¡¯t save myself, he went out of his way to save me. And for that, a broken bone couldn¡¯t be enough to repay him. So, even with this useless leg, I¡¯ll do my best to help everyone. That¡¯s the least I can do, even if it¡¯s only with words. The door to the apartment room creaked open, taking my attention. And within the small gap it created, Itogaya-sensei gestured us inside. The apartment room stretched far, requiring you to walk through each room to reach the bedroom. The dotted drywall boar holes exposing the guts, the wires inside hanging like monkey bars. The apartment door could be locked with a short chain and bolt, and the entrance itself, where Ishimasu-chan set her shoes instinctively, was made of marble tile, and was a slight level below the main floor. The wooden floorboards past the entrance led to the restroom and bathroom, and then to the kitchen (which also included a dining room). The countertops, unlike the apartment we woke in, were full of devices and inventory we could put to use, thanks to the now-running electricity. The bedroom was attached via a door to said kitchen, and was the largest room in the apartment, and led also to an outside balcony via a sliding door. Layers of quilts and blankets sat on the bed, torn and tattered; and that¡¯s where Kobayashi-san lay temporarily, with a stool supporting her legs. The bleeding had stopped; clearly. A layer of bandage was wrapped around her waist and both arms, the centre of each dyed light red. Her expression of pure exhaustion was enough to know she was suffering with pain, despite the antibiotics and painkillers putting up a fight. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°How¡¯s the leg keeping up?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Fine. I did get off lucky.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯ve explained to Kobayashi-kun, so I¡¯ll keep it brief.¡± Itogaya: ¡°The puncture in the waist only inflicted the muscle; as the claws passed through her side, rather than the centre of her body.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Looks like I got off lucky too.¡± Itogaya: ¡°The right arm is moderately fine; it¡¯ll heal. The left, however, suffered a fracture and a damaged artery.¡± Itogaya: ¡°And though that isn¡¯t good, it could have been much worse. If the radial artery was damaged alongside the ulnar, we would have been looking at amputation down the road, since proper treatment isn¡¯t accessible.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that part.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-kun may lose feeling in her arm over the next few hours; possibly permanently, so I ask that you be patient with her.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°But I¡¯ve still got my right hand, and I can walk. So you don¡¯t have to be too patient.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°But, you¡¯re hurting a real lot¡­ aren¡¯t you?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Not as much as the fox did.¡± Itogaya: ¡°In any case, Kobayashi-kun will be fine, as long as her wounds continue to be treated. Any risk of infection, whatever level it may be at, will not take effect for days; which we might not even see pass.¡± The doctor stated, as he formed a cast for the injured girl using bed sheets. He wrapped the sheets around the already existing bandage on her arm, before placing the sling around her nape for support. And he did it without asking for help, despite the fact he was hurting too. Although he tried his best to hide it, bandages were wrapped around his torso also, hiding under his stained dress shirt; albeit rushed in comparison, either due to lack of care, or difficulty in self care. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Itogaya-sensei, how¡¯re you feeling?¡± Itogaya: ¡°...I¡¯m fine.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°And your injuries?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Scratches.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Scratches require bandages?¡± Itogaya: ¡°These ones do.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡± The doctor sighed. Itogaya: ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not one you need to worry about. I¡¯ve treated my injuries, and I¡¯ll recover. Like Kobayashi-kun, I only suffered damage to my muscles.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Muscles that need rest, right? You should rest.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Once I have the time to.¡± And that was as far as I could push the subject. Given our difference in field, and the fact his skills were important to our survival, I believed Itogaya-sensei to be taking the best care of himself. It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand him either; focusing on others, rather than himself. It was familiar. Too familiar. What right did I even have to ask them if they were okay? I wasn¡¯t there to help. They both put their life on the line to protect someone else; and almost died. If I hadn¡¯t been attacked by the rabbit; if I had outran it, like I said I would; if it wasn¡¯t for my stupid leg- This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Konsako-san, thanks. Seriously.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought of that. Talking to the rabbit.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Especially if he almost killed me.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°But, thanks to you, I¡¯m in a lot less pain than I could be.¡± She battled the exhaustion, and smiled. Konsako Akihi: ¡°...It¡¯s nothing, really. I¡¯m happy I could think of it, but Itogaya-sensei did all the talking.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You have to give yourself a pat on the back, Akihi-aniki! Cus¡¯ if you don¡¯t, then I will.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°She¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure it was scary.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No¡­ not really. Nerve-wracking, maybe¡­ but not scary.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Is there a difference?¡° Konsako Akihi: ¡°When the rabbit first showed up, it kind of reminded me of an NPC, so I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to approach it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°But then I realised its resemblance to the Rabbit Devil, and¡­ it made me think that maybe it could communicate, like the devil could.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s how you knew back then?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Well, less knew; more hoped. But it isn¡¯t the Rabbit Devil. They look similar, but they¡¯re different. One could talk.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°When you encountered the fox¡­ did it show signs of communication?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I didn¡¯t get the chance to find out.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Maybe, if I had the chance, then¡­¡± She looked towards her shoes, which still had bits of brain sticking to the sole. Itogaya: ¡°You didn¡¯t get that chance. The fox wanted to kill you. If it¡¯s the one who trapped those two inside, then it wanted to kill them too. The rabbit wants to kill us and the fox wants to kill us. We can only negotiate when we¡¯re both at a disadvantage. That¡¯s why the rabbit didn¡¯t kill us before.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Don¡¯t begin to think you can talk your way out of every altercation. We got lucky; the rabbit was at a bigger disadvantage than us.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It was injured, right? How badly?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Daikubara-kun dealt damage to its eye, yes? Since then, it¡¯s received damage to the arm and torso. It¡¯ll die in hours, maybe less.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...So what attacked it? The fox?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm, possibly. But maybe not the fox that approached us.¡± Kuro: ¡°What¡¯re you getting at?¡± Kuro-san, who had now entered the bedroom, stood against the open door with a cold expression. I hadn¡¯t even noticed he¡¯d left the room for some time. Itogaya: ¡°The injury to its waist was recent, but similar to our own, Kobayashi-kun.¡± Itogaya: ¡°By recent, I mean within the last ten minutes of our encounter in the store.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Another fox!¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°I guess that¡¯s more likely than the rabbit having taken Tatesada-san.¡± Itogaya: ¡°If it was only the two, then we wouldn¡¯t have an issue. The rabbit is no longer a threat, so normally we would be able to proceed without over-caution.¡± Itogaya: ¡°But it might not only be those two. There might be more.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°A skulk¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°A what?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°A bunch of foxes. Like a litter or kennel.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Are foxes usually split up, though?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Ehhh, if they aren¡¯t in a group, yeah. But a skulk is small most of the time, so I don¡¯t think they would split up unless they had to look for food.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Or if they knew what to expect, like the rabbit.¡± He forced himself up, and began waltzing towards the balcony¡¯s window view. Itogaya: ¡°The second Michifuku-kun and Tatesada-kun entered the store, they were closed in¡­ but I couldn¡¯t locate a device on the fox to manually close the doors, nor anything inside to that effect.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°And Tatesada-san wasn¡¯t taken until after Michifuku-san left, right?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°A number¡¯s disadvantage, maybe.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I think you¡¯re both right.¡± The doctor leaned against the glass window, scratching at the scrapes on his neck. Itogaya: ¡°The fox might be capable of communication, after all.¡± Whether between the skulk, or even with us¡­ the foxes had to have communicated to close those two inside. Kuro: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much now.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What?¡± Kuro: ¡°We don¡¯t have to deal with the foxes, or the rabbit anymore.¡± Kuro: ¡°We can leave.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Eh? The gate¡¯s open?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No. Kuro-san¡¯s planning on climbing it.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°What about-¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Without them.¡± She paused, and the exhausted expression cowled. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Do we have to?¡± Itogaya: ¡°It¡¯s in our best interest.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°You three decided that?¡° Itogaya: ¡°We negotiated.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Not that it¡¯s important, but I didn¡¯t agree with it. I still think we should help the others.¡± Kuro: ¡°It isn¡¯t important, and I¡¯m not going to.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Yeah, we know.¡± I quickly countered, before softly pressing my nails into my palm. ¡°But Itogaya-sensei and I-¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ve discussed this already, Konsako-kun. I can¡¯t help, either.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Cold feet?¡± Itogaya: ¡°No, it¡¯s just in our best interest.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I see.¡± The room paused for a brief time, which gave Kobayashi-san a moment to think. Her furrowed eyebrows refused to lift; surely she too was struggling to accept this, considering everything she put on the line before. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I think we should help them too.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I can understand why¡­ but this isn¡¯t up for debate. Not if a skulk exists, like you stated.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know that!¡± Itogaya: ¡°That¡¯s my point, Ishimasu-kun. None of us know. But the enemies do, from what we¡¯ve seen.¡± The doctor quickly countered, his eyes widening. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Kuro-san, considering you¡¯re in the best shape, if you quickly checked the apartment, you could figure out if they¡¯re accessible or not.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Kuro-san, considering you¡¯re in the best shape¡­ couldn¡¯t you quickly check that apartment for them?¡± Kuro: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± As she exhaled, Ishimasu-chan looked towards her, hoping she would argue against Kuro-san¡¯s lack of care. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ that¡¯s just selfish.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I understand. After all, look where helping others gets you.¡± The younger girl pressed closer to the older girl, mumbling. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°What do we do then¡­?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°There isn¡¯t anything we can do¡­ Konsako-san and I are both injured, and we can¡¯t endanger you, Ichimachi-san.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°That¡¯s not my name¡­ and you¡¯re just saying that cus¡¯ I¡¯m younger than you.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Well, I¡¯m a big sister so I can¡¯t really help but feel that way¡­¡± I can¡¯t¡­ do anything. What was I talking about, when I said I¡¯d do my best? If I can¡¯t even be useful in a time like this¡­ what¡¯s the point of ever being useful? Because of this stupid leg¡­ because of this stupid leg! And no one else will do it, because they¡¯re scared. But, I¡¯m not scared¡­ so why does it have to be me that can¡¯t do it? Kuro: ¡°We can¡¯t waste anymore time on this.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm. Ishimasu-kun, Konsako-kun, can you ready our supplies for our leaving?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Fine.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ll need to bring food, water and emergency supplies; what¡¯s left of the first-aid, weaponry and anything that can start a fire. Take the bedsheet, too. I only cut a small portion of it; you can use the rest as a hook for the gate.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ll leave in twenty to thirty minutes.¡± Kuro: ¡°I¡¯ll help them if it¡¯s going to take that long-¡± Itogaya: ¡°No, I need you for something else.¡± Kuro: ¡°What?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Are you familiar with suturing?¡± Not saying another word, the two of us left the bedroom, Ishimasu-chan closing the door behind us. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishimasu-chan¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°It¡¯s not fair¡­ why do they get to make all the decisions?¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Just cus¡¯ Kuro isn¡¯t hurt¡­ or a kid¡­¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°I wish it was him who was hurt instead of you or Kobayashi-san.¡± She blurted out. Konsako Akihi: ¡°No¡­ neither of us should be hurt, but¡­¡± Before I could finish, she shut the bathroom door and locked herself inside. ¡­And I hadn¡¯t the energy to argue further, so I began picking at the supplies. I think it would¡¯ve been better to have Kuro-san do this. It¡¯s not like my hands are broken. Using the several empty grocery bags Kuro-san brought with him, I collected the supplies requested by Itogaya-sensei. I was tempted to ask Ishimasu-chan for help, but knew that would only make this ordeal go faster¡­ and the faster we got out of here, the faster we would have to abandon those three. After twenty minutes, I made my way back to the bedroom to collect the bedsheets¡­ Itogaya: ¡°You¡¯re better than I expected.¡± Kuro-san, using a needle and thread from the first-aid kit, was sowing at the doctor¡¯s exposed, sliced muscles. Sitting on the small circle table next to them was said kit, as well as small bottles of alcohol, and rubbing alcohol. Itogaya: ¡°Ah, Konsako-kun¡­ are you two finished?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Mm¡­ we¡¯re ready to go. I just need the bedsheet.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-kun, could you move from the bed? Don¡¯t rush or push yourself, I can¡¯t have you tearing the stitches.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Right.¡± The girl moved slowly off the bed, allowing her feet to connect to the floor before lifting herself up. And as she reached for the sheets, she turned to the open space on my right. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Where¡¯s the little girl?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishimasu-san. She¡¯s in the bathroom.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Okay¡­¡± She placed the bedsheets on the floor. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Kuro-san can carry them when we¡¯re leaving¡­ you don¡¯t need all that weight on you.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Thanks.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Konsako-kun, let Ishimasu-kun know we¡¯re leaving very shortly.¡± I nodded towards the doctor before leaving again, pushing my body towards the bathroom door while calling out her name. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishimasu-chan¡­¡± Each movement of the muscle in my leg sent a pain, which circulated through the torso. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishimasu-chan, we¡¯re leaving soon. Can you help carry some things?¡± But she wouldn¡¯t respond, and though I was hesitant, I began to knock on the door. After knocking, I tried the door handle¡­ despite the door being locked. I heard it. I heard her lock it¡­ and I didn¡¯t hear it unlock. I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t. So, it shouldn¡¯t open- -But it did¡­ and no one was inside. Without taking a breath, I forced myself through the only other door in the apartment, which connected the restroom. Empty. Before I could call out to the three behind me, my eyes shot towards the apartment door. ¡­The door chain hung unconnected, leaving the door unlocked¡­ and the cute, small shoes belonging to the small girl¡­ were gone. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Ishi¡­ Ishimasu-cha-¡± I hit the floor; but I didn¡¯t feel the impact. ¡­How can I help someone lost in the rain, when I too am lost?
BIND GAME RABBIT 19: H艒g艒 CHAPTER 19 RABBIT 19: H¨­g¨­
Two hours prior to Ishimasu-chan¡¯s disappearance: Itogaya: ¡°Are you familiar with suturing, Kuro-kun?¡± Kuro: ¡°As in stitching?¡± Re-opening one of the few first-aid kits, Itogaya-sensei set out a focused inventory on the circular desk. This consisted of disposable gloves, two needles, scissors, forceps, as well as multiple thin black threads so long they could likely reach both ends of the room. Itogaya: ¡°Stitching, mm. Particularly, do you think you are capable of suturing mine and Kobayashi-kun¡¯s wounds?¡± Kuro: ¡°Is there enough time for that?¡± Itogaya: ¡°The bleeding hasn¡¯t stopped. It¡¯s blocked, which means suturing is a requirement if we want to move forward. Time is a threat whether you act for it or against it.¡± Having taken a closer inspection of Kobayashi-san¡¯s injuries, Itogaya-sensei was able to determine two things: The punctures on both arms from the fox¡¯s teeth had only broken past the fat; it likely hadn¡¯t reached the muscle, and if it had it wouldn¡¯t have done very much damage. And the punctures on her waist from the claws, had undeniably pierced the muscle. It would take far longer to heal, but recovery was more than possible. Itogaya-sensei suffered similarly to the arm, nothing causing alarm. The set of lacerations across his back were slight, likely only touching the fat. The waist, however, had suffered lacerations that reached the muscle, barely piercing it. Both had suffered similar injury to the ¡®external oblique¡¯, but Kobayashi-san alone took damage to an artery and bone. Thankfully however, that artery (ulnar) could heal on its own if it had minimal damage - and not only that, the fox had missed the two arteries close by in the forearm. If they had taken damage, Kobayashi-san would have lost enough blood to possibly kill her. Itogaya: ¡°It isn¡¯t difficult as long as you know what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯d certainly prefer asking someone who isn¡¯t opposed to lending a hand, but neither Konsako-kun or Ishimasu-kun would be able to perform this task. They¡¯re bound to make a mistake.¡± Itogaya: ¡°You on the other hand¡­ are unusually composed.¡± Kuro: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t make mistakes.¡± Itogaya: ¡°It does mean you¡¯re less likely to.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°If it helps any, I¡¯d prefer if you did it, Kuro-san.¡± Kobayahsi Amano: ¡°I would¡¯ve done it myself if¡­ well.¡± Kuro: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a risk I¡¯ll make your injuries worse?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Not if you know what you¡¯re doing¡­ or someone else does.¡±
Itogaya: ¡°Follow my instructions carefully. Each step is important. Don¡¯t tear the gloves, we can¡¯t risk the equipment collecting bacteria.¡± Sat on the bed¡¯s nearby cabinet was a boiling pot, filled halfway using a water bottle. Kuro-san had placed two needles inside, leaving the liquid to clean it. In the kitchen, he poured more bottles into another small boiling pot, heating it to the point of boil. And lifting the lid for a brief moment, the steam nearly scorching his exposed forearms, he also poured salt, allowing it to dissolve in the hot water. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Is it safe to use bottled water?¡± Itogaya: ¡°According to Daikubara-kun, the ¡®skulk¡¯ likely resonates in the sewers, which could give them access to the town¡¯s water supply.¡± Itogaya: ¡°If we¡¯re to use that running water, despite the uncertainties, we would have to distil it ourselves in order for it to be useful in a situation like this.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°That would take a lot longer, huh¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°In comparison, the bottles sold in the convenience store are distilled, unlike most brands. We can use them, but only to a limited quantity. We have just enough for the suturing.¡± Moments before, Itogaya-sensei took time to explain the process of disinfecting the needles: To begin, Kuro-san would clean the pot using bleach from the bathroom and boiling water inside the pot, before rinsing it out. A fresh bottle would be then poured into the (hopefully) disinfected pot, and boiled. With the addition of salt, this would create a saline solution. After rinsing the needles in this sterile water, Kuro-san would reboil to the point of an attempted escape of steam from beneath the closed lid. Lifting it carefully, he¡¯d position the needles above said steam to kill any remaining bacteria. Twenty minutes spent boiling both pots, five minutes spent cleaning the pots and an extra fifteen minutes spent killing bacteria with steam; less than fifty minutes. Itogaya: ¡°Preferably, the needles would spend half an hour in the steam¡¯s path, but time remains a threat.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I doubt we have to sterilise this equipment since it came from a first-aid kit, but at least with the kitchen¡¯s inventory I can understand.¡° Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun is involving himself, albeit involuntarily. We can¡¯t allow him to risk infection, especially if he were to make a mistake and pierce his own skin.¡± That risk that lies in the act of stitching was the next step. Thanks to sensei¡¯s cleaning, the wounds were in an approachable state. He couldn¡¯t irrigate the wound with limited equipment, so only an extra clean by Kuro-san was required. As they had already been tended to, the wounds required very little cleaning by Kuro-san. Further irrigation would be helpful, but time was ¡®still a threat¡¯. Kuro: ¡°I¡¯ve washed my hands, I¡¯ve replaced the gloves¡­ can I start?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Slowly. Kobayashi-kun, resist squirming.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Sure thing¡­¡± Starting with Kobayashi-san¡¯s forearms, he commenced his makeshift operation. Using the forceps, Kuro-san exposed both tissue and skin, opening an angle for the needle to enter and exit without complication. And using his uninjured arm, Itogaya-sensei helped hold Kobayashi-san¡¯s limb in place, as she bit hard into cloth ripped from the bed. Individually, the puncture wounds were small, no more than half an inch wide. With finite movement and no room for error, Kuro-san was accurately walked through the operation. Itogaya: ¡°At this angle, the needle can enter and exit without piercing fat. I¡¯ll cut the thread myself.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Kobayashi-san took a deep breath, her eyes clenching and her feet shaking. I¡¯m sure she wanted to kick through the floor underneath. And under Itogaya-sensei¡¯s countdown, Kuro-san began to pierce the cleaned wound. It entered the tissue above the fat, and when it had begun to pierce the opposite side, Kuro-san twisted his hand clockwise, pushing the needle upwards. Once it had pierced outside, Kuro-san pulled the needle further until Itogaya-sensei had cut the thread. And to finish, he slowly moved the threads into position, pulling the tissues tight together, before sealing with an overhand knot. Next, he quickly wiped the blood from Kobayashi-san¡¯s arm with cold distilled water. Itogaya: ¡°Before we continue, I¡¯ll confirm the quality.¡± Holding back her tears, Kobayashi-san continued to bite so hard into the cloth she was beginning to tear through it. Kuro: ¡°Well?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm, it¡¯s good. Messy, though the situation can¡¯t demand perfection.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ll keep this up. Two knots for each puncture wound.¡± In less than ten minutes, the apprentice had finished both arms; the two sets of four punctures. And although the job wasn¡¯t perfect, Itogaya-sensei found himself impressed by Kuro-san¡¯s work. Itogaya: ¡°At least we¡¯ve confirmed we¡¯re in good hands.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ahh¡­ is it over¡­?¡± She whimpered, spitting the cloth from out her mouth. Itogaya: ¡°We¡¯ll need you to lay on your side.¡± Laying on the side opposing the puncture, Kobayashi-san leaned against the bed¡¯s backboard for support, as Itogaya-sensei again surveyed the injuries. Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun, use the second needle.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Eh? Are you sure? What about you?¡± Itogaya: ¡°...Focus on yourself for the time being.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...¡± Not everyone can do that so easily. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°K-Konsako-san¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°Mm?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°K-Konsako-san!¡± Her voice passed through the hard wall, reaching me in an instant. I pushed the door fast open, sending the nearby equipment almost flying. Kuro: ¡°Watch it.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°What is it?¡± I urged. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Do you mind boiling water in one of the pots?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Eh¡­ okay?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-kun¡­¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do.¡± The four puncture across her waist were at least an inch long, requiring four threads¡­ meaning the needle would have to pierce- Kobayashi Amano: ¡°E-Eight times?¡± Itogaya: ¡°Each, give or take.¡± Kuro: ¡°Keep your mouth closed. You¡¯ll distract me.¡± Like before, Kuro-san slowly pierced the skin at an approachable angle, allowing for the needle to move from each end of tissue. The two closest lacerations required more stitches due to the angle she¡¯d been attacked, fiteen minutes passing before Kuro-san had sealed the knots. After sealing the slightly more difficult wounds, Itogaya-sensei cleaned around the stitches while Kuro-san washed his hands. After spotless bandages were applied, Kobayashi-san soon stuck back on her shirt and sweater, shivering in the ruthlessly cold air of the apartment. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It hurts, it hurts a lot, but¡­ thank you, Itogaya-san, Kuro-san.¡± Her soft voice struggled to leave. Itogaya: ¡°Pain is to be expected, that¡¯s what these are for.¡± The doctor handed her painkillers, which she downed without hesitation. The doctor dropped a small pack of painkillers, her not hesitating to swallow the lot. Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun, I¡¯m relieved I didn¡¯t make a mistake choosing you.¡± Kuro: ¡°It isn¡¯t difficult to follow instructions.¡± Itogaya: ¡°It¡¯ll take most students hours of practice to remain as calm as you on a pig¡¯s carcass, nevermind a breathing human.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°So, what about you Itogaya-san? We¡¯ve used both needles¡­¡± Itogaya: ¡°We suffered the same injuries, via the fox¡¯s teeth and claws. The first needle can be used for the teeth¡¯s punctures, and the second for the claw¡¯s.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We can at least clean it first.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We would need to boil water again for that.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Yeah, we would.¡± I can promise I didn¡¯t time my entrance, though it¡¯s not like anyone would believe me. Konsako Akihi: ¡°The boiling water¡¯s ready, do you need me to bring it in?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Thanks, Kuro-san can get it.¡± The doctor couldn¡¯t help but snicker with closed eyes. Laughing must hurt, but he really couldn¡¯t help it.
The needles couldn¡¯t be given the same steam treatment as before, with time only allowing us to rinse them in the boiling pot. But it was enough. It had to be enough. That half an hour spent on Kobayashi-san ended up being shorter than the time spent on Itogaya-sensei. His wounds were a higher quantity, though thankfully not as extensive. Not only that, but Kuro-san was entirely on his own. Neither Itogaya-sensei or Kobayashi-san could physically aid him. Itogaya: ¡°Two minor lacerations and five punctures on the left arm. Three minor lacerations at the lower back, and two deep lacerations at the waist.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Lacerations will require more time, but don¡¯t rush.¡± Kuro: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Itogaya: ¡°I¡¯m not saying that for my own well being. If you prick your own skin, it won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Kuro: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Fourty minutes passed, and the last of his lacerations were pulled shut by the tight threads. The punctures were simple enough to deal with, but the lacerations; specifically the waist, proved to be a pain. Yet in spite of the several piercings and moving of damaged tissue, Itogaya-sensei refused to flinch, subtly intaking deep breaths without either noticing. And unlike Kobayashi-san, as the needle was inserted and extracted, Itogaya-sensei watched robotically, mercilessly, and without so much as blinking. The overhand knots Kuro-san formed sat outside the wound; not on top, to avoid any interference with the wound itself. From the outside, it was an undeniably messy result, but one that was ¡®more than operable for now¡¯ (according to the doctor). The two could no longer engage in physical alterations, whether it be attacking, defending or fleeing¡­ but it was a price to pay. To prevent damage, they took damage. And even if they knew of this outcome, I doubt they would¡¯ve changed anything. That¡¯s¡­ how I feel, too. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Can we really climb the gate like this? How tall is it again?¡± Kuro: ¡°Around fifteen-feet, but it won¡¯t be difficult to lift you using sheets; as long as someone can help.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Konsako-kun and Ishimasu-kun can lend a hand. Speaking of which, we really need to get moving now. It¡¯s almost been two hours.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I thought we might be losing track of time, but¡­ two hours? We haven¡¯t even heard a word from the others yet.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Actually, just how much time has passed all together? Have either of you been keeping track?¡± Itogaya: ¡°If I were to guess, I¡¯d estimate-¡± Kuro: ¡°Two-hundred and ten minutes inside the apartment. One-hundred and fourty-one minutes between the escape and the power returning. One-hundred and seventy-three minutes from the power returning to now.¡± Kuro: ¡°To be specific, we spent roughly one-hundred and ten minutes on this ¡®operation¡¯.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...Eh? Really, uh¡­ wow.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Kuro-kun¡­ were you tracking the time while-¡± He stopped. Kobayashi-san began counting on her fingers, trying to estimate just how much time had actually passed. Kuro: ¡°Less than nine hours have passed.¡± And yet, it felt like so much less. The concept of time doesn¡¯t seem to apply here. The sky hasn¡¯t changed, yet we still bleed. Our wounds worsen, our temperature drops as we expose ourselves to the cold. But while the sky doesn¡¯t change¡­ why do we? Kuro-san, who supported Kobayashi-san with his shoulder, moved the bedroom door open with his right foot, and walked through the cluttered space of the kitchen¡­ except- -That space was no longer taken up by people, but only the bags and bags of supplies they couldn¡¯t even carry. Those bags were meant to be carried; carried by the ones no longer there. Kuro: ¡°What now¡­? Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Um¡­ Konsako-san?¡± The boiling pot had already cooled. Itogaya: ¡°...¡± Walking past the two, who had almost tripped over one another in pause, the doctor pushed the doors to the bathroom and restroom in search of what wasn¡¯t there. And as he learned that, he had to accept it¡­ and as he accepted it, he couldn¡¯t help but bite down on his cold pale lips, drawing a fresh stream of red.
Lost in the rain, lost in this town¡­ it¡¯s the same thing. My body can only push so far, but I reject its wishes to stop and breathe. I¡¯ve already made up my mind. Even if I¡¯m alone; Even if I have to break my body; Even if I can¡¯t handle the punishment; I won¡¯t let anyone else die. ¡°If it was only the two, then we wouldn¡¯t have an issue. But, there might be more.¡± Sensei¡¯s probably right¡­ who knows just how many enemies we have in this town. And with everyone separated, we¡¯re really not helping ourselves¡­ but I can¡¯t wait around and let someone else handle this. Not like anyone else could. Kuro-san and the others can leave us behind if they want. I don¡¯t care. I refuse to follow them. This¡­ is how you felt, isn¡¯t it Ishimasu-chan? You couldn¡¯t bear not being able to help. This is my fault as much as it is theirs. But even if I understand, even if I¡¯m the same¡­ I have to follow you. I dragged my leg up the steep hill leading to the apartments, the blades of grass and wet mud pulling at my shoes; but I didn¡¯t stop. Even when it pulled so hard, like chains locking me to the ground, I could only fall to the cold dark pavement, scrape the stone from my chin and get back up. Dried puddles of blood lit by the streetlights led me to an apartment. It led from the entrance past the point of my sight, but it told me where I needed to be. I called their names, ignoring the dark corners of the hall. A clatter rang through the floor; it had to have come from the basement. And, I checked. Looking down the long stairway leading to the basement floor, which was lit in a moon¡¯s hue, I saw. This smell of blood and sweat can never leave me. It¡¯s something I¡¯ll surely remember, even if I manage to leave. That was the game. Even if we¡¯re selfless or selfish, even if we stitch our wounds, even if we do our very best¡­ we still draw blood; those scars will remain; and the concept of death will resonate, just like that sickening stench. ¡°Will our blood stop flowing when our bodies are empty?¡± That thought entered my mind, as I locked eyes onto a cold, unmoving body.
Even if I lose everything, I won¡¯t let anyone else die.
BIND GAME RABBIT 20: In Defence of Choice CHAPTER 20 RABBIT 20: In Defence of Choice
At that moment, I thought only the threads sowed within would be left holding my body together. Asking a question, while knowing the answer¡­ is there anything more difficult and humiliating? Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...What do we do now?¡± Kuro: ¡°You know what.¡± he quickly replied, sparing no time for arguing. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Itogaya-san¡­¡± I¡¯d call, hoping to turn the situation around with his input. But before he could even answer- Kuro: ¡°They made their choice.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I could dispute his words¡­ because he wasn¡¯t wrong. I understood that - I understood that, and yet¡­ Itogaya: ¡°I agree, with Kuro-kun.¡± sighed the tired doctor. ¡°If we weren¡¯t able to convince them, then there isn¡¯t anything we can do now.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Ishimasu-san¡¯s just a child¡­ of course we¡¯re not going to convince her. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can just leave her-¡± Itogaya-san pulled back the apartment door, the noisy creaking overtaking my own thoughts. Itogaya: ¡°I understand, Kobayashi-kun¡­ but we¡¯re running out of choices to make. We can¡¯t continue like this.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°And if I go after them, you¡¯ll still leave?¡± That question too should have been met with an obvious answer, but in spite of his dismissive behaviour, I was confident Itogaya-san could change his mind. If the altercation with the fox is evidence, then maybe I can convince him through my actions, not my words. Itogaya: ¡°It won¡¯t end like before.¡± he stated with near indifference. ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± yet he added, emphasising his disdain towards my thoughts. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°So come with me, Itogaya-san. Don¡¯t leave it to me, just like before.¡± His eyes closed shut, as he stood within the door¡¯s frame. Behind those closed eyelids, what could he see besides utter darkness? Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...I get it. I understand. You don¡¯t want to die.¡± that much was obvious; I didn¡¯t need to spell it out for them, but¡­ ¡°neither do they.¡± that much should have been clear, too. ¡°They¡¯re just selfless, or maybe stupid enough to think about others before themselves.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I¡¯m not saying their way of thinking is right, but¡­ I don¡¯t want anyone else to die, either.¡± Kuro: ¡°So you¡¯ll die for them?¡± interjected the dejected boy. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t plan on dying.¡± Kuro: ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. A higher possibility than if you were to leave this town now.¡± Kuro-san began leaning against the apartment wall, likely realising we weren¡¯t leaving anytime soon. He too couldn¡¯t afford to leave with the way things were going. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Are you asking why?¡± Kuro: ¡°Not understanding isn¡¯t the issue. The issue is; are you fine with putting their lives above your own?¡± he spoke without interest, a cold air exiting his mouth as he did so. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing.¡± I argued, ¡°if we can escape this town with higher numbers, that¡¯ll be to our advantage.¡± Kuro: ¡°That¡¯s if you can convince them to leave, or even find them. They could be dead, already.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I get that you haven¡¯t any faith in them, but if we can come to an agreement, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll join us.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Yes, maybe.¡± Itogaya-san suddenly re-entered, ¡°but you¡¯re missing the point, Kobayashi-kun.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Then explain the point.¡± Itogaya: ¡°We have only one chance. It¡¯s the end if we choose wrong.¡± Ah, yeah¡­ that¡¯s right. I mean, I did say it myself¡­ we¡¯re all scared of dying, but¡­ if we die again, that really is it, isn¡¯t it? We don¡¯t get a second chance. ¡°They made their choice.¡± They did. They chose to push that final chance aside for someone else. ¡°We¡¯re running out of choices.¡± But why do you think that? Is it because you¡¯re now understanding just how scary death is? That, as you said; it¡¯s the end. The end¡­ if this is our final chance; if the wrong choice leads us to that end¡­ then what can we do? ¡®Kuro-san and Itogaya-san are separate from everyone else, because they aren¡¯t willing to push that final chance aside.¡¯ ¡­That¡¯s wrong. There is someone; someone who¡¯s the same as them. Someone who, despite all refusal to, puts his life on the line for others.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Daikubara-san? Daikubara-san!¡± The small girl cried out again and again, desperately clinging to a response from the motionless man. Michifuku: ¡°He keeps slipping in and out of consciousness¡­ I, I don¡¯t know¡­ what to do.¡± Those words were forced out of her mouth, through the coughing and tears. ¡°I can¡¯t get him out¡­ I can¡¯t leave him.¡± Daikubara-san lay firmly against the basement¡¯s colourless wall, his shirt bagging over the bandages cloaked around his waist. The decision to stuff them in her pocket had clearly paid off. But even from afar, it was obvious his injuries were unapproachable. Konsako Akihi: ¡°We need to get him to Itogaya-sensei, right now!¡± I yelled as I fought for balance, painfully rushing down the steps. Michifuku: ¡°K-Konsako-kun?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°He¡¯s still alive, he¡¯s still breathing, isn¡¯t he? So we can save him- we can save him, can¡¯t we?!¡± Michifuku: ¡°Mm, right!¡± she abruptly shouted back to me, finally being dragged back to the fray. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Aniki, you came¡­?¡± I¡¯m not intelligent. I¡¯m not a smart person. There¡¯s frighteningly little I know about a lot of things. I could only add basic first-aid to that growing list. But having watched those guys over the last few hours, I think I¡¯ll at least be able to wing it. At the very least, at the very very least¡­ I have to do something, and I will do something. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Where was he hurt?¡± I demanded from the shivering Michifuku-san. Michifuku: ¡°Um, he was¡­ stabbed, in the stomach or side, and the back too. And I think his leg¡¯s broken.¡± she stuttered over her words. Konsako Akihi: ¡°With what?¡± Michifuku: ¡°A knife - the rabbit did it¡­¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°T-The rabbit?¡± I could only let out; because if this was the rabbit, then¡­ was I¡­ did I- Michifuku: ¡°Konsako-kun?!¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°S-Sorry, um¡­ okay. I¡¯ll get Itogaya-sensei.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Eh? I can do that, aniki! You stay here-¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t be here in the first place¡­ it¡¯s too risky.¡± I said without hesitation, in an attempt to shut down her pleading. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± she cried in frustration. ¡°Your leg¡¯s all messed up!¡± But that doesn¡¯t matter, because¡­ because- Michifuku: ¡°I¡¯ll go, Konsako-kun. We don¡¯t have time to argue.¡± she spoke, seemingly coming down from the pressure she had felt moments before. Almost hysterically, I begged her to wait for even a moment. Konsako Akihi: ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt either.¡± Michifuku: ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave before, even though I wanted to. So please, don¡¯t try to stop me.¡± And without another word, she sprinted up the steps carelessly, and swung around the corner towards the apartment¡¯s exit. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Damnit¡­ okay, okay¡­ Ishimasu-chan¡­¡± I panted and panted. ¡°Help keep pressure on the wounds. I¡¯m sure the blood has stopped, but¡­ just in case-¡± Ishimasu-chan grabbed the loose, soft fabric of my longcoat and tugged on it, demanding my attention. But I couldn¡¯t focus. Why did I even argue? Why did I let them convince me otherwise? If I had gotten here sooner. If Itogaya-sensei or Kuro-san got here sooner. Then maybe¡­ maybe he¡¯d be okay- Daikubara: ¡°Kid¡­ shut up. You¡¯re doing my head in.¡± he deeply groaned. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Daikubara-san¡­ you-¡± Daikubara: ¡°Uhuh¡­¡± miserable sounds left his body as he battled to stay awake. Konsako Akihi: ¡°Just¡­ hold on.¡± I said without caution, ¡°we¡¯re getting you help.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Daikubara-san, I¡¯m here too! Daikubara-san!¡± Daikubara: ¡°I can tell¡­¡± In these two hours, what had he been exposed to? How deep were his wounds? Did they hit any organs? The rabbit¡­ why was it even here? No, when was it here? Because if I had any part to play in this¡­ if the rabbit was here because of me¡­ Then how could I ever forgive myself? ¡­ Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Why did you come¡­ Akihi-aniki?¡± my thoughts were interrupted. Konsako Akihi: ¡°I¡­ just had to make sure you were safe.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Okay¡­¡± I stood still, looking down at the unmoving Daikubara-san, who was tended to by the small girl. Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Not cus¡¯ you wanted to stop me?¡± she asked slowly. ¡°Cus¡¯ you didn¡¯t believe in me?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You were gonna stop me, weren¡¯t you?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Yeah.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°Why?¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± Ishimasu Kanana: ¡°You won¡¯t let me do anything¡­ I can¡¯t even be useful, cus¡¯ you¡¯ll just stop me.¡± Konsako Akihi: ¡°...Yeah.¡± It¡¯s selfish. It¡¯s far too selfish. But¡­ I¡¯ll continue being this way. Even if she hates me for it, even if she feels suffocated¡­ it¡¯s fine. Because she can¡¯t die, not again. None of them can. I¡¯ll just keep doing my best, no matter what¡­ because this is our final chance.
There are those who act purely on instinct, and those who act on logic. Those who move before thinking, and those who think before moving. Those who hesitate, and those who don¡¯t. Konsako-san is undoubtedly someone who¡¯ll act on instinct; without thinking, without hesitating. On the other hand, Kuro-san is someone who¡¯ll act on logic; thinking, hesitating. Or, is that right? Maybe at first glance, that¡¯s what you¡¯d expect from them; that¡¯s what you¡¯d expect from anyone. To be one or the other; to be someone who thinks and someone who moves. But it isn¡¯t that simple. It isn¡¯t black and white. Our situation demands adaptation through change. If you fail to change, you¡¯ll fall behind. They just haven¡¯t realised it yet, or rather, they might not want to. But I¡¯ve realised it. What Daikubara-san, Itogaya-san and Kuro-san have in common¡­ is that given the right time, the right situation, the right purpose¡­ they too won¡¯t hesitate to risk everything. So, when will it happen? Kuro: ¡°We need to leave.¡± he said, stepping out of the room. Itogaya: ¡°Kobayashi-kun.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Wait,¡± I demanded, ¡°we aren¡¯t done talking yet.¡± Kuro: ¡°I am.¡± In his attempt to shut me down, Kuro-san headed towards the stairs, his feet knocking against the steps. Itogaya: ¡°This isn¡¯t up for debate anymore. We won¡¯t get so lucky this time.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It wasn¡¯t luck that saved me. It was your choice to come back.¡± Itogaya: ¡°Maybe so, or maybe I decided that losing another person wouldn¡¯t benefit us.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough? If you can understand that, then-¡± Itogaya: ¡°I know.¡± the doctor calmly spoke. ¡°I know. I understand, but I can¡¯t. Not anymore.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°...If so, are you planning on stopping me?¡± He stood, silent, unblinking. Itogaya: ¡°Even if I tried, what good could this battered body do?¡± It¡¯s expected from you, doctor¡­ but it¡¯s not what I want to hear.
Almost there, seconds from leaving- Kuro: ¡°...Are you coming or not?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I just want to talk, just for one minute at least.¡± I moved past him, planting my feet at the final step leading to the door. But he wasn¡¯t interested. He walked past me, and I hadn¡¯t the energy to keep up. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°Wait.¡± I pleaded. Kuro: ¡°Wait for what?¡± his callous voice asked. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Searching for the answers in my mind, I spoke. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We don¡¯t know when this game will end. We don¡¯t know where the exit is, or how far we¡¯ll have to go to find it.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°If it¡¯s just us three¡­ if we have to face obstacles far more difficult than we already have, how can we expect to survive?¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°It isn¡¯t about saving them. It isn''t about adhering to their stupid naivety.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°We can¡¯t survive without them, whether you want to accept that or not.¡± Kuro: ¡°I never asked them to die.¡± he replied, in his own way of confirming he knew - he knew exactly what I meant. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°I know.¡± I said, placing my tired feet on the hall floor. Kobayashi Amano: ¡°So let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t, that way they can still be useful.¡± He held strongly onto the door handle, hesitant to let go. Itogaya: ¡°Mm, well¡­ we¡¯d have to make sure they don¡¯t get carried away this time.¡± the voice behind me spoke. Kuro: ¡°...¡± and, his grip let go the slightest amount, before pulling the handle down and the door towards him. Kuro: ¡°I¡¯m not going to die for them.¡± Kobayashi Amano: ¡°They won¡¯t ask you to.¡± That¡¯s right; none of us has the right to, anyway. We¡¯re here because we died, we can¡¯t expect others to die because of that. But there are some of us stupid enough to think the opposite for themselves. ¡°I¡¯ll protect them, even if I die.¡± In this situation, what could be more ironic than fighting to die?
BIND GAME RABBIT 21: Shutters
CHAPTER 21 RABBIT 21: Shutters
KOBAYASHI AMANO The town was a maze; tall buildings and hard brick walls closing distances and separating us from one another. It was sometimes difficult to know where you were going, and that wasn¡¯t helped by the shutter-alleys. Each entrance to the town, formed in the brick walls¡¯ gaps, were pathways leading inside. These pathways wouldn¡¯t connect to the entirety of the town, though. They connected to small regions and areas of the town, which also held more pathways connecting to other areas. This made getting around confusing, all the more-so by the alleys¡¯ shutters. Though it wasn¡¯t a huge issue at first, as most pathways were instantly accessible with their shutters drawn up, they became an issue once the power had been restored. You could only enter the town through alleys, but some alleys were closed off by shutters that couldn¡¯t be opened from the inside. These could only be opened from the alleys¡¯ outside via switch; the inside of the alley being absent of any. Unless you could open that shutter from the outside, you would have no hope of making it through. The brick walls were too high to climb, nevermind dangerous thanks to the rusty spikes placed atop. And you couldn¡¯t even see through the shutter, so half the time you wouldn¡¯t know where you were headed. Most importantly, these pathways were consistent in their ¡®outside¡¯ direction. For example, the west entrance to town (direction of the Rabbit¡¯s apartment), had its outside entrances facing east; meaning they could be opened from the west. The east entrances worked opposite, and the same applied for the north and south. When it came to the town¡¯s inner, though, it was far more inconsistent. The paths could lead you to a dead end. That¡¯s why we decided to leave them open, when we searched for Konsako-san and the others. They did that too, which made it easier to track where they¡¯d gone. And thanks to the shutter¡¯s obnoxious scraping when lifted or closed, we could tell if anyone was close by. But the maze remained an issue. It was designed with the intent to separate us, and it had succeeded in doing so with Michifuku-san.
She was a result of that intent. That¡¯s why, even after fifteen minutes had passed, she¡¯d barely made progress on her objective. The east apartments could be on the other side of the wall she faced, or halfway across town. But she knew she was heading the right direction, thanks to the North-East looming radio tower, which reached over the brick walls. Using the west entrance, as she had in our group and with Daikubara-san, Michifuku-san was intent on finding the glowing light that emanated from the convenience store. However, a slight problem prefaced. Though previously she could use this light as a mark, it now blended in with lights of the same power. No marks, only a specific direction. This town wasn¡¯t large, but inside it you were small. ¡°...Oh, right.¡± she gasped, flicking her finger against a shutter switch, and stood impatiently, watching as it noisily retracted, ¡°ehhh, handy.¡± Rushing through the small, cramped passage, she came to a stop, peering her head around the corners in preemption of the unexpected. It was clear. She had been led to the park area, partially in the town¡¯s centre; and not far from it should have been the convenience store. Intaking a deep breath, she lightly ran right for another alley. The alley with most potential was shut, so to take a gander at where it would lead, she flicked a switch again. As the shutter lifted, a green light could be spotted from the end of the path; a familiar light. The convenience store was here, just next to the park through the alley¡­ but it didn¡¯t lead anywhere else; not anywhere helpful, at least. It seemed to connect to the area she had previously started in, but to the east, where she was headed, the shutters were inaccessible. A reroute was necessary. It was necessary, but¡­ something had begun to echo in the town¡¯s darkness, bringing her to a halt. Though we had spent little time in the town, its silence was quick to adapt to. Its silence, as well as its few existing sounds; dripping water, buzzing lights, knocking footsteps and light wind. Anything else was abnormal, a figment of our imagination. Something we either hoped or feared to hear. At least, that was the easy way of looking at it - as something you refused to believe. Within these existing sounds now came the shifting shutters¡¯ rusted metal. But this sound, like the knocking footsteps, was deliberate. It had to be, turning it from an uncomfortable noise to a sign of life. Someone deliberately used the shutter switch. Someone deliberately chose that pathway. The noise came from the east. Did they enter, or leave? Were they friends, or¡­? Though nervous, only one option came to mind; to continue east. ¡°Huphhh¡­¡± she puffed in annoyance, hastily entering the convenience store before returning to the park. Rummaging through the office, she searched for remaining first-aid kits, knowing they¡¯d come in handy; especially if she found Itogaya-san. Only two of seven remained, one being used on Daikubara-san and herself, one on the Rabbit, and two on Itogaya-san and myself. She grabbed hold of a single kit, slinging it around her shoulder, before lightly sprinting to the entrance. Until something had caught her attention. She hadn¡¯t entered the store since Tatesada-san¡¯s disappearance. And assuming Daikubara-san¡¯s theory was correct, there had to be a connection between the store and sewers. She had noticed such a connection, in the form of dark marks underneath the store counter, embedded into the silk tiles. She pushed and pulled against the counter, before dipping her head under the desk. ¡°Maybe a button, like the shutters¡­¡± she mumbled, ¡°like in spy movies~¡±, but unfortunately nothing could be spotted in the shadows. She pouted, drifting her right hand through the darkness, hoping to collide with something sticking out. Skkkrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee¡­ She shot up. It was that noise again, from the shutters. Even closer this time. It sounded scarily close actually. Far too audible for her being in the store. Piercing her gaze through the dirty glass of the store, though remaining in the shadows to avoid detection, she waited and waited. For anything. It had to come from the east, through one of the inaccessible alleys. Anything that dared to step out of that darkness would be spotted by the store¡¯s light. She would see it before it saw her. At a time like this, it was hard to think of what was to come as anything but a threat. There was no choice to view it as anything but that. She had to prepare for a threat. She had to make time for the decision of whether to run or hide. At least, that¡¯s what she had presumed. Moreso hoped. But when the predator leaped from the east alley, it wasted no time in the light, returning to darkness in the blink of an eye. The time between entering her line of sight, before being absorbed by the darkness, had made it look as if it teleported. Like the lights went out, but they were still on. Even with exceptional vision, she¡¯d have no way of telling where it would strike from. The previous predator almost killed two people on its own, in a preemptive attack. What chance did she have on her own? Panic set in, obviously. Heightened breathing, sweat running off her body, tears building in the corners of her eyes, and despite all that movement; the motionlessness of her limbs. Connected to the dirty tiles that refused to let go, she couldn¡¯t move. In spite of her likely death at the hands of a predator in mere seconds, she couldn¡¯t move. And even though she could before, when the Rabbit feasted on prey before her eyes, she couldn¡¯t move now. Despite it being her second chance at life, she couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Oh¡­¡± she choked, a dark shadow making its way through the lit store. The back entrance was open. Someone had blown the door off, after all. That¡¯s why, until now, she hadn¡¯t noticed the predator was already inside.
MICHIFUKU I wasn¡¯t alone in the apartment. There were people that looked out for me. If it wasn¡¯t for them, I¡¯d definitely be dead. They were the same as me; people who had experienced death and given the chance to try again. Knowing death and the loneliness that surrounded it, we¡¯re all desperate to survive, no matter how far we have to go. And yet, a few still go out of their way, putting their life at risk just to make sure someone else can survive. The type of person who¡¯s fine with losing what they have, as long as others can keep their own. I¡¯m not that type of person. I¡¯m much more hesitant to stick my neck out for people when it isn¡¯t beneficial. I wouldn¡¯t expect them to do the same for me, of course. When we¡¯re given a second chance, we should be grateful. Choosing to waste it is pointless, and yet¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel guilty about everything. When the Rabbit first attacked, Sakakibara-kun and Shiroito-san were killed right next to me. I didn¡¯t try to help them; I didn¡¯t even watch them die. I just ran until I couldn¡¯t, which led me to Daikubara-san, Ishimasu-san and Kobake-san. I wasted their time with pointless tears and bated breaths, which gave the Rabbit the opportunity to catch up and kill Kobake-san. I didn¡¯t watch her die either, and Daikubara-san was too preoccupied protecting the kid. Konsako-san distracted the Rabbit when it approached us. He can¡¯t run anymore. Itogaya-sensei and Kobayashi-san put their bodies on the line to keep Tatesada-san and I safe. They¡¯re alive, but in bad shape. Daikubara-san protected me in the basement. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll survive. The results of my cowardice. The unwilling, whose deaths benefited my survival, and the willing, whose actions protected me. But what have I done for them? When it came to retrieving Tatesada-kun, all I could do was watch as Daikubara-san bled out on the floor. I didn¡¯t even move. Once I was alone, my cowardice took control. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I wish someone had come with me. I wish I wasn¡¯t alone again. Even though I decided to go on my own, I just wish Konsako-kun, in all his ignorant empathy, would have joined me. If it meant I could survive a little longer, if it meant I could hold onto the hope of escape- -But he didn¡¯t. I¡¯m alone. No one to rely on. Just me. The predator¡¯s teeth will sink into my flesh and end my second life before it can even begin. It¡¯s what I deserve for being selfish. But am I really all that bad? It¡¯s not like I wanted to die. It¡¯s not like I wanted to suffer, just for a slim chance at life again. But I had no choice. When it comes to death, I understand its loneliness better than anyone. I¡¯d rather survive alone than die alone. Yet my body refuses to move, because it knows what to expect. Instead of fighting for that second chance, I¡¯ll die now, and keep my expectations from being defied. ¡­I¡¯m still going to die alone, though.
Maybe that¡¯s why, in spite of the floor keeping my feet planted, and my stomach churning with fear, I finally moved. I was metres from the store¡¯s front entrance, but running through it was pointless. The predator would catch up to me once we got outside. In this situation, what would they do? When she fought the Fox, Kobayashi-san didn¡¯t run, right? Its corpse was in the alley created by the store and brick wall, just where we¡¯d left her. All the blood and remains that could be found were there too. Why did she stay there? Because that alley was to her advantage. She could see, thanks to the store¡¯s lighting and the dim moon. And the Fox could only approach from two directions. She thoughtfully positioned herself, as if she was used to fighting. That¡¯s a reason she survived. I was in the store. Although I hadn¡¯t repositioned in time, I was still in a decent spot. The cluttered space, brightened by fluorescent lights and easy enough for me to manoeuvre in had to be to the predator¡¯s disadvantage. I had the upper hand, for sure. Fighting isn¡¯t my thing; the last time I was in a fight was elementary school, and I was like eight. I don¡¯t even think I won. But I¡¯m familiar with the convenience store¡¯s layout. I¡¯ve escaped using my body once before. As long as I can move, I can escape again. Even with these cuts and bruises, I¡¯m just as nimble. So I moved. Throwing my body over the counter, I dashed through the small gap made between packed shelves, the predator knocking into them to trap me. But I managed to push through, squeezing out of the remaining space before it fell on me. The predator expected me to run for the door, so digging my fingers into the dirty tiles, I shoved my body off the floor, shifting towards the back, past cosmetic racks and packed rails, past spilled drinks and discarded items. It immediately followed, only getting its fur stuck in sharp turns and edges of metal, bumping into shelves and tripping over supplies. Its approach wasn¡¯t as quick and straight-forward as I had expected, reminding me more of a clumsy drunk. Was it blinded by the desire to sink its teeth into my flesh? Making a further mess of the store to reach me, I continued swifting through the small gaps between shelves and racks, the predator struggling to keep up. If it preferred outdoors, I preferred indoors. Through my manoeuvres, I had changed my direction to face the entrance. Running through the back might be easier, but it would still catch up to me. I had to draw as much distance between us as possible. It began to leap over shelves, but failed as its hind legs knocked into them, tilting his direction. Was that Fox also this clumsy? The Rabbit certainly wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t that big, either. Not that I could get a good look at it, though. My eyes only focused on the entrance in front of me. And while the creature could force most of its body through, it continued to slow down, especially so when its last was caught; the tail. Moving on all fours, it had charged towards me, knocking a shelf over in the process- which landed directly on its tail, pinning it to the floor. It yelped lightly, before pulling and pulling using its paws. At this rate, it was going to tear off. Did that matter so little in comparison to food? It didn¡¯t matter. My chance was now. Thanks to its clumsy behaviour and one track mind, it had trapped itself, while I was nimble enough to avoid clattering and bumping. It was much less of a threat than I¡¯d expected, but then again, that¡¯s only because it hadn¡¯t dug its claws into me. The doors dinged as I sprinted through, not spending another second relishing in the predator¡¯s pain. It used an alley facing the store; likely the east, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have made so much noise activating the shutter. I didn¡¯t need to guess, though, as the east¡¯s dim light shone through an alley directly in front. All that was needed was to keep running straight; then I¡¯d be safe. I could just close the shutter and separate myself from the predator, even if only temporary. But that¡¯d give me enough time. Enough time to get further, to get help. The doors dinged lightly once again; but that wasn¡¯t what caught my attention. Overshadowing that noise were the heavy, bolting footsteps that followed. I didn¡¯t need to look back. It wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. I just needed to take a few more steps. The bolting drums grew closer and heavier. Just a few more steps, and I¡¯d be safe. Because they were waiting for me just past this alley, weren¡¯t they? My lungs were shrinking, my sides aching and my muscles cramping. It would be easier to fall down and die, but considering it a choice was losing. Like the predator chasing me, I could only run. Almost there. Just one more step, one last step - reach your leg out a bit longer! Even with its breath running down your neck, even with its claws poking at your spine, just take that last step! I had no choice but to make it, to separate it. After all, I was bringing it to them now. I couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility of it doing more damage. I slid out of the shade, my knees grinding against the cold ground, as my right hand reached out, flicking the shutter switch. The lights of the east apartments shone upon me, and I turned behind without resistance, for a look at the predator that could only watch as it was closed off from prey. The shutter hadn¡¯t fully made it down; it was still falling. Only the tiniest gap remained. At most, it could fit a limb through and no more. Once it fell, I¡¯d be safe. But I wasn¡¯t safe yet. The predator¡¯s desire to pierce flesh was also stronger than I had expected. Despite the falling sheet of metal, the predator reached its right paw through, hoping to draw a speck of blood. I could barely move, pushing against the ground one last time. It wouldn¡¯t reach me, I knew that, but I still feared those claws. But the sheet of metal was still falling. It howled in pain as the metal fell against its exposed limb, slicing past fur, flesh and fat. I decided to relish in its pain once more, stomping against its paw, the claws cracking off against the pavement, a dark white bone lodged out of its socket, blood spitting on the brick walls. If its howls couldn¡¯t be heard, surely my own would be. ¡°SERVES YOU RIGHT, JACKASS!¡± I howled back. ¡°Stalker! Asshole! Hound!¡± I screamed and screamed, continuing to crush its paw, until it managed to pull it out of the trap, the shutter meeting ground with a thud. Only bits of fur and flesh remained, the metal claiming its spoil. Shivering in the cold air, my legs unable to buckle, I fell to the ground. Heavy, rasping breathing, my lungs struggling to support me. That cold ground was cold. It was a nice feeling. Even if I was dead, I could still feel. I could keep feeling if I survived. Letting out a hefty sigh, I gave back to the cold air, tricklets of blood running down my left shin. When did that happen? Oh well - it wasn¡¯t enough to cry over. If anything, I¡¯m lucky that¡¯s all I was branded with. This blood proves my potential for survival, too.
KOBAYASHI AMANO Twenty minutes prior, we found a retracted shutter, leading us from the east apartments to a small corner of the town with a singular building. It seemed to be a record store, but we had no interest in exploring it. What we did have an interest in, however, was what lay by it. ¡°Is that¡­¡± I spouted, catching my breath as the smell hit me. The doctor approached it; a corpse painted in dark blood. Its fur, previously white, was red. The tip of its right ear had been sliced off, and many gashes and splits were found all over its body, especially the waist. A dead Fox. ¡°It was stabbed.¡± the doctor said. In the time we first explored the town, up to now, this Fox had been killed. We hadn¡¯t encountered it before, but it was alive while we were here - so what had taken its life? ¡°It must¡¯ve been the Rabbit.¡± I said. ¡°Yes, that would offer the best explanation.¡± he said, picking and prodding at it, without touching the wounds. ¡°It¡¯s been dead for hours now. Its claws are coated in blood too; undeniably the Rabbit¡¯s.¡± ¡°Do you have the time to inspect it?¡± Kuro asked bluntly. ¡°If it¡¯s dead, there¡¯s nothing to gain from it.¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± he countered, lifting the tail of the fox, ¡°there¡¯s something different about this one. Not only is its build slightly smaller, and its claws shorter, but¡­¡± ¡°...It has a second tail.¡± He had lifted up a second tail of equal size.
The Fox had been stabbed to death by the Rabbit at some point. This proved that despite their objective being to kill us, they weren¡¯t working as a team. It only made me think more and more that the Rabbit wasn¡¯t supposed to be out here. We steadily approached the south apartments, the doctor mumbling as his eyes focused on the dirt below. ¡°It¡¯s bothering me.¡± the doctor suddenly started. ¡°We¡¯ve encountered, now, two Foxes. There has to be a skulk, and yet¡­ they haven¡¯t attacked us since before.¡± ¡°What are they waiting for?¡± Kuro-san joined in. ¡°They¡¯re luring us, like they did with the convenience store trap, and dragging that guy into the sewers.¡± ¡°Mm, that would make sense.¡± he said, grasping his neck with hand, ¡°then, do they have an advantage underground? Something greater than the combined strength of a skulk?¡± He was beginning to slow down. It seemed like he was the type who had to come to a stop to sort out his thoughts. It would explain why he hadn¡¯t the chance to second guess his decision when coming to save me. ¡°I was wondering that, too.¡± I added. ¡°Two Foxes likely worked together to trap Michifuku-san and Tatesada-san, but only one attacked us.¡± ¡°Because you were on your own at first.¡± Kuro-san refuted. ¡°They might¡¯ve assumed it would¡¯ve remained that way.¡± He continued, ¡°The other Fox could¡¯ve left before the other was outnumbered.¡± Nearly up the south hill, Itogaya-san came to a stop again. ¡°That would explain this arbitrary standstill. Why we¡¯ve been left alone.¡± He stated, a cold air escaping his lungs. ¡°Are you suggesting they¡¯re dead?¡± I asked directly. He lifted his head towards me, slightly shaking it. ¡°I can¡¯t know that. But, I think it¡¯s definite that we¡¯re walking into a trap, whether they¡¯re alive or not.¡± ¡°Otherwise,¡± he further argued, ¡°Tatesada-kun would have been killed in the store.¡± That much was certainly clear. Unlike the Rabbit, this ¡®skulk¡¯ has had little interest in risking their own wellbeing; at least before engaging in a fight. They¡¯ve continuously used their wits, separating us, luring us and trapping us. It¡¯s easier to sort us out one by one, which means they have a major disadvantage in those situations. There¡¯s a small chance those guys are dead. But if they aren¡¯t, I can¡¯t let them act as bait. ¡°One condition.¡± Kuro-san said callously. ¡°If anyone is in the sewers, we leave them.¡± ¡°Cut our losses?¡± Itogaya-san questioned. ¡°Yes¡­ that might be for the best.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get there first.¡± I quickly interjected. It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand where they were coming from, but, moving forward now with the possibility of loss on my mind - that only made me hesitant. Approaching the apartment was inevitable now. I¡¯d worked up my courage, and I couldn¡¯t be dissuaded. ¡°Although the Fox appears weak,¡± the doctor said, ¡°even it won¡¯t surrender lost prey.¡±
MICHIFUKU My body was warm, in spite of the chill air. No one had exited or entered the apartment, and so after a few minutes, I trudged towards it. They didn¡¯t hear the commotion. They¡¯d probably left by now. I weighed my choices. If I returned to the others now, without Itogaya-sensei and the rest, I¡¯d have only wasted time. It¡¯d be great if they were already there, but it was unlikely. On the other hand, if I checked the apartment now, and they weren¡¯t there, I could survey the town from that height. And if they were there - that would be great too. I¡¯m not sure how I held on to the first-aid kit. I thought for sure I¡¯d dropped it, but it remained hanging on my shoulder. I forced myself up the steps and railing of the apartment, pushing the entrance open. It was difficult even taking steps. I¡¯d definitely exhausted myself past the point of return, but I had to keep going. Calling out their names in the hall led to nothing, so I pushed upwards to their likely apartment room. My ankles shaked with every step. I thought I¡¯d fall. Had they ever been this weak, other than when I¡¯d catch the occasional fever? Along with my shaky ankles, my head was splitting. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and with every step taken, I felt it build. ¡°...Is this¡­ it?¡± I sighed, bumping into the open door of a messy apartment. They were probably in here before, so I should check it out. I¡¯ll call out to them again. ¡°Ko¡­ Kobaya¡­¡± I failed to exert, my words disintegrating in the thick air. Huh? What¡¯s going on? Why am I struggling to speak? Was I really this tired? That screaming must¡¯ve hurt my throat. I kept shuffling forward, leaning against the walls and counters as support, towards that bedroom where they had to be. But they weren¡¯t there. Aside from the litter of tattered sheets, medical supplies and dried blood, it was empty. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ ehh¡­¡± I nervously coughed. I pushed my body against the bedroom window, shifting my eyes towards the south apartments. Three figures climbed the south hill. It had to be them. ¡°...I just missed them, huh.¡± I groaned. Though tempted to lie back down and wait for my exhaustion to end, I wasn¡¯t interested in sticking around any longer. Cus¡¯ if that jackass caught me like this, I¡¯d be screwed. But, if I fall down the stairs, I¡¯m even more screwed¡­ so I¡¯ll take a minute to sit down and catch my breath. It¡¯s better to be ready. I should close that door first, I thought. Just in case. In a pathetic attempt to close the apartment door, I slid my weight against the walls of the apartment. My legs were weak, very, very weak. My upper body felt overall fine, though still exhausted. But again, my legs were killing me - far more than my head. I could barely take a step, clinging to the kitchen counter before I could fall. I just needed to close that door. It¡¯d be better if I did. But my legs were cramped, unwilling to trudge further. I looked towards the light of the entrance, and- The predator, drool gushing from its open jaw, bleeding arm and yellow eyes starved for revenge, blocked the entrance.
BIND GAME RABBIT 22: Even so, Im still alive. CHAPTER 22 RABBIT 22: Even so, I¡¯m still alive.
MICHIFUKU Death is lonely. It¡¯s a different loneliness than living with false faces, because though you may be surrounded by people, you¡¯re still alone. You can take off and change those faces, but they aren¡¯t you. They¡¯re a reflection of what you want others to see. What they wanted to see wasn¡¯t important, as long as it could be replicated and reflected. But they grew close to that, and in time, only saw what they wanted to. Michifuku Monoo may have been buried surrounded by people, but she lived and died alone. That¡¯s the realisation I came to, after dying. And I kinda wish I hadn¡¯t. Cus¡¯ when I die again, I coulda¡¯ at least died thinking: ¡°I lived how I wanted.¡± Not anymore, though. Now it¡¯ll be ¡°What a waste.¡± Michifuku Monoo amounted to nothing. And so, there¡¯s no reason for me to live; to return. It¡¯s pointless. And yet knowing that, why am I still breathing? Why is blood pumping through my veins? Why am I afraid?
The ceiling might collapse any minute, I thought. Those walls were too frail to hold it any longer; and the wooden floorboards would creak with each step, questioning their stability too. It was a cold room, with little lighting and worn furniture. Completely abandoned. The outside was inaccessible and absent, just pure darkness. And this room, though it had to be part of a bigger building, was alone in this darkness - no exits or entrances. How did I even get inside? But unlike the room itself, I wasn¡¯t alone. Something else was here, leaning back on a wooden chair at the opposite side of the table. A dark creature with black beady eyes that blended in with its fur, long sprouting ears, thick paws and a fluffy tail. Its snout was small and cute, but the creature¡¯s humanoid figure wasn¡¯t. It looks a lot like the Rabbit that¡¯s hunting us, but smaller and more defined. Also, this one could talk. ¡°Monoo, do you get what¡¯s going on?¡± it asked me, ears and nose twitching. ¡°Kind of¡­ but not really.¡± I nervously replied, struggling to keep my eyes on it. ¡°I bet.¡± it snickered. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, tho. No one knows what¡¯s going on in the first part.¡± And it added. ¡°You only needa¡¯ get the jist of it. You weren¡¯t picked at random. You were chosen. This is your only chance at returning to your life.¡± I had a lot of questions, a ton I wanted to pile on, but it wasn¡¯t interested in answering any. ¡°We¡¯ll see one another again, maybe. So survive, and I¡¯ll answer any questions-¡± ¡°Why was I chosen?¡± I split its sentence. If there was one thing I had to know, it was that. It wasn¡¯t random, I was chosen to be here - for the opportunity of revival. But why me? Why, out of everyone, was I chosen? ¡°Cus¡¯ we¡¯re unsatisfied.¡± it bluntly replied, leaning its chin on a paw, its beady eyes staring boredly into my soul. ¡°And above all else, so are you.¡±
An unsatisfying death, huh? I wonder what even qualifies as one? Maybe if you die young, or unfairly, unexpectedly, maybe at the hands of someone else - or even yourself. Or maybe it had to be a life cut too short, before it reached its potential. Those might be unsatisfying deaths. But in that case, my death couldn¡¯t have been unsatisfying, because I¡¯d already reached my potential. Moreso, I never had any to reach. A satisfying death? What qualifies as that? Do you have to die an old geezer, or surrounded by people you love? Is it okay as long as your death is quick and painless, or if you had it coming? I guess, with that in mind, my death couldn¡¯t qualify for all points of satisfaction. It was quick, sure, and I probably had it coming - but I died young, too. I can¡¯t even argue I died surrounded by people, even if it was likely. At least to the devils, I couldn¡¯t be counted as a satisfactory death. But as long as I¡¯m satisfied, what do their opinions matter? Who gets to decide, other than the dead, what deaths are and aren¡¯t satisfactory? They couldn¡¯t argue my death was unexpected either. There are hundreds of thousands of car accidents every year in Japan, thousands fatal. It happens all the time, just this time, it happened to me. Was I ¡®a one in two-thousand?¡¯ Was my lousy life more important than others? I didn¡¯t feel that way, so I¡¯m kinda guilty. I lived and died a lonely liar; no one really knew me, not even myself. Someone like me isn¡¯t more deserving of a second chance over anyone else. ¡°Cus¡¯ we¡¯re unsatisfied. And above all else, so are you.¡± It wasn¡¯t even ¡®quick and painless¡¯. It was instant. I didn¡¯t even realise I was dead until I was told so. Even if I was in critical condition for a few days, it didn¡¯t matter - I remembered none of that. And it¡¯s not really anyone¡¯s fault; it just kinda happened. These things kinda happen. And I couldn¡¯t even be disappointed, cus¡¯ dying in a car wasn¡¯t all that bad. I liked them, after all. But if one thing¡¯s irking me, it¡¯s not knowing if anyone else survived. My mom and brother were in the car too, but I still don¡¯t know if they¡¯re alive or not. Hopefully they¡¯d just gotten off with a scratch or two, but seeing how I ended up, I could only fear the worst. I¡¯m fine with being the one to die, but it¡¯s not okay for them to die too. With that in mind, if they did die, why was I chosen instead of them? I¡¯m really guilty. Having to accept the possibility of them being dead only tells me I¡¯m valued more by the devils. A total coward, who lied their way through life, wearing whatever face benefited best. Willing to help and hurt others, as long as I hadn¡¯t connected with them properly - it was the face¡¯s doing. I can¡¯t be deserving of this second chance, I should die right here, right now. But I¡¯m just repeating myself. Again and again, I¡¯ve argued how death suited me better; how I wasn¡¯t deserving of my second chance. And yet, I keep surviving. I¡¯m still breathing.
Standing in the entrance hall, a white humanoid Fox; small in frame, and a short snout that curved up. Teeth that hung low, jaw opened wide, its saliva seeping. Perky ears that would twitch every few seconds, and eyes that couldn¡¯t split their gaze. And, strangely enough, a dark gakuran, like the Fox from before. It looked stupid. And like the Fox from before, it was here to kill me. It followed me after all. I had hoped that with its mangled right arm, it¡¯d back off for a bit. Though I guess it didn¡¯t matter, cus¡¯ I doubt I¡¯d beat it arm mangled or not. I¡¯m barely keeping on my feet, after all. Looks like it got lucky, and that its determination will pay off. It took a slight step forward, revealing its size to the harsh yellow light. It really couldn¡¯t have been any taller than Ishimasu-san. The other Fox had to have been bigger, too. And it¡¯s tail too. it was emphasised by the light. Was my vision starting to go, too, or did it have more than one tail? I was struggling to think, as my mind raced to pin a weak point on the beast, my head splitting and my legs shaking. I had to press my right arm against the kitchen countertop to stay standing, my hand searching for a weapon. Even if I¡¯m going to pass out, I¡¯ll try to do what I can first. If I can inflict any damage, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help them. It¡¯s just¡­ I wish it wasn¡¯t such a vicious beast, cus I¡¯m sure whatever¡¯s coming is gonna¡¯ hurt a whole bunch. Though, that pain hadn¡¯t yet arrived - because the Fox remained utterly still. Not attacking me, or even taking another step. What was it waiting for? Backup? It wasn¡¯t so hesitant to slip its paw under a falling heavy sheet of metal, so why was it all of a sudden acting cautious around a girl who couldn¡¯t even walk straight? I must¡¯ve scared it good before - though not enough to scare it off entirely. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. But honestly, I kind of wished it¡¯d just attack already. This fear is eating away at me, only making things more difficult. No one¡¯s coming to my rescue, and I can¡¯t make a run for it. This body is going to give any second, so at least let me put up a fight, so I can say I died doing something! But when it does come; that excruciating pain, will I be okay with it? Will I be satisfied with the outcome? If so, why am I still trying to find a way out of this? I felt my control over both legs softly fade, and I fell to the floor, dragging the knife with me. Coughing and spitting into the floor, the pain in my head doubled - no, tripled. Physical exhaustion shouldn¡¯t go this far! And yet, I can¡¯t even stand on my own two legs. Why was I so weak?! And then, the floor creaked. I threw my head up, only to see the hound even closer. It was preparing to move; its back hunched and paws excited to pounce. ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± I wanted to cry out, but lacked the strength to. I¡¯m easy prey, aren¡¯t I? ¡°Just get it over and done with.¡± That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Make it quick.¡± And you¡¯re not entirely wrong, Fox. But it¡¯s not just me that¡¯s thinking that. You are too, right? Its legs drew forward, its tails pointing to the air - - then it pounced, dashing across the dining table, and leaping towards the corner of the room where I lay. ¡°Just get it over and done with.¡± Even with death fast approaching me, I still make time for lying. Although I saw it coming, although I should have had the chance, my body could only react so fast - and my mind could only prepare so much. I drew my hands to my face without hesitation, fighting the weight. A defensive mechanism that would come in handy, because when I drew my shield, I indirectly swung my sword too. The knife swiped across the Fox¡¯s face, unable to end its leap. It began to yelp, kicking back against the kitchen counter and swiping its paw at me, hitting my right hand and sending the knife flying across the room. Along with a few of my fingers, I feared - but I didn¡¯t take the chance to look. As it fell back, I threw my hefty body into the bedroom, and using my right shoulder, pressed on the door until I heard a click. I dragged my body to the opposite wall, and lay my back against it. With the spilt blood I could taste in my mouth, I might have nicked its eye. Lucky. That was the closest brush with death I¡¯d had so far, and my body understood that, my lungs quickly growing and shrinking as they scavenged for air. I only moved at that time because I was scared. It wasn¡¯t a planned defence. My body knew what was coming, and reacted to protect me. The Fox thought I¡¯d given up. So did I. But, my body opposed that. I don¡¯t think I can move these legs much more, though. They were aching and aching, the pain beginning to spread through my waist and back. Maybe I could pull myself up one last time, but that¡¯d be the last. I doubt I¡¯d even get the chance to, since that door will be knocked off its hinges any second. I can¡¯t even defend myself; my luck has run out, now that I¡¯ve lost my weapon. Accidentally catching a glimpse of my right hand, which had lost its blade, I darted my eyes back to the door. It was coated in bright red blood, but I think I counted all five fingers, even if the pain was convincing me otherwise. But it had to be useless, now. I¡¯ll probably see bone if I get the chance to clean it. My body is desperate to live, but it¡¯s alone. ¡°Cus¡¯ we¡¯re unsatisfied. And above all else, so are you.¡± I groaned, cold tears building below my eyes. What should I do? What should I do?! My eyes were stuck on the door. My body could fight to prepare, but my mind couldn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never had the chance to prepare for death, so how can I now? All I know now, is that a painful, lonely death awaits me. So, what should I do? I couldn¡¯t keep the tears from flowing, my legs from shaking and my hope from dwindling. What would they do in this situation? No, why am I even thinking like that? I¡¯m a selfish liar, I can¡¯t think as optimistically as them. The most optimistic thought I can conjure would be for a quick death. But that door remained unopened, attached to its hinges. Did it run away? Did I kill it? No, no chance. But even then, why hasn¡¯t it attacked me yet? It¡¯s too patient, only attacking me when I fell. It is waiting for something. It trapped me here, unwilling to attack without me first noticing, even though it could have. It intends to keep me here, where it can attack at any moment, where I can¡¯t escape, where I¡¯m alone. Does the Fox know something I don¡¯t? In that case, what can I do but wait for help¡­ or kill it myself?
That day was miserable. It was a month from my birthday, and my favourite star had died. I felt betrayed by him, even if he didn¡¯t know me. So my mom, in her infinite empathy, took me out for the day, along with my little brother. I had a strong relationship with my parents since I hadn¡¯t left home, despite being in university. But that strong relationship was built on lies. But those didn¡¯t extinguish all truth, because I still love them. They¡¯re important to me. I want to be their ideal person; who they want to see. And I hope that when I did die, I died as that person. Not as Michifuku Monoo. She took a day off from work just to cheer me up. We went shopping, ate ice-cream and visited the zoo. Even though I wanted my dad to come, I¡¯m glad he didn¡¯t. I¡¯m glad he was always too busy with work. I¡¯m glad my brother was in the back seat. I¡¯m glad I was in the front seat. I don¡¯t care how unfair life is, and I don¡¯t care if these things happen all the time. Because their deaths can¡¯t be satisfying. They¡¯ll hurt enough by losing me, so don¡¯t let them lose any more. And hopefully when I do die again, I¡¯ll find out what they¡¯re holding back from me. Whether they¡¯re alive or not. Even if I¡¯m hesitant to know, it¡¯s something to fight for. So is knowing why I was chosen. I want to know that. To the person who pushed her life aside just to make my day a little easier. I don¡¯t want her to hurt anymore. Is there a way to find out, other than death? An answer to the questions I look for? If I die, I might not find out.
My legs were heavy, my body too. Keeping my eyes open for a second longer proved difficult, and the sweat running down my forehead began mixing with the tears. It was waiting for this. That jackass probably knew it would come to this, and took advantage of it since he can¡¯t fight. Falling for my own lies and overestimating myself, I began to think I could fight for others. And now I¡¯ll die alone. No one will know what happened; they won¡¯t have the time to look for my corpse, so they¡¯ll cut their losses and move on. But my heart is still beating. My lungs are still growing. My fingers are still twitching. My endurance and will were absent, but I was still alive. I don¡¯t need to find it. I don¡¯t need a reason to survive. I said it already, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯d rather survive alone than die alone. If the Fox intends to wear me down, to the point I can¡¯t lift a finger, then I¡¯ll move while I still can. I¡¯ll drive my body into the ground if I have to. I¡¯ll get this over and done with. I refuse to wait until I become easy prey. I¡¯m going to bring the prey to it. Start with your fingers. Find your endurance and build it. Then your hands, your arms and your chest- -Your feet, legs and your waist- Move. Move. Move, even if you have to break every bone in your body and tear every muscle and joint holding you together. As long as you can move, you can survive. Forcing myself against the wall with my left side, I turned the door¡¯s handle with my bleeding hand, pushing it open slightly and peering my head around the corner to find it. It would know I was coming and where from, so I had to act fast. Where? Where is it- -On my left, inches from my throat, its jaw hanging wide. I couldn¡¯t move my left hand from this angle. I needed that opening, but my legs could barely hold my own weight, nevermind force distance between me and the predator. I had to rely on instinct again, shifting my right arm in front of my head. It would see that coming- -It pierced my chest, digging its short claws through flesh, and closed its jaw on my right hand, clenching hard. ¡°Gaah-¡± I finally let out, the pain unbearable. I couldn¡¯t move my left hand. There wasn¡¯t enough space. Even with it caked in blood, I relied on this hand far too much. It¡¯ll get me killed- but if I could just¡­ ¡­I began to fall. Despite knowing where it would lead me, I had pressed my left ankle against the wall, and used every last ounce of strength I had to tip over, dragging the Fox down with me. It was startled, and quickly looked to regain balance, releasing its jaw from my hand and its claws from my chest. I wasn¡¯t pinned anymore. Swinging my left arm upwards, then turning my wrist, I stabbed straight into the Fox¡¯s head, a needle dried in blood gripped tightly by my fist. I wasn¡¯t sure where exactly I¡¯d hit it, but it was deep, requiring strength to pull back out. The Fox was howling and screaming, scratching and pulling at my body, dragging me across the room as the needle remained lodged until I could successfully pull it out. I remained on the ground, and the Fox soon rejoined me, unable to keep its body straight as blood spurted from the side of its head. It whimpered and moaned, as I climbed on top of it, stabbing and stabbing and stabbing and stabbing the needle again and again and again wherever I could. Eye, ear, skull, jaw, cheek, neck, shoulder, anywhere I could reach. I could no longer feel my arm - it was moving on its own, relentlessly, without mercy or an intention to stop. Even when the crying and whimpering had ended, it continued to plunge the needle through flesh and bone. It was only when the needle had gotten stuck in bone, unable to be pulled back out with my remaining strength, did my arm finally fall back down. The Fox wasn¡¯t making any more noise. It wasn¡¯t moving. It wasn¡¯t breathing. It was dead. I killed it. And despite that, I could only ask; ¡°where did that leave me?¡± My head spinning, the pain unbearable. My vision darkening, my stomach churning and my body unable to move. Before I could even answer my question, everything went dark once again. ¡°Am I dying?¡± I piled on one last question. But this time, I found an answer. Even if I were to die; even if this time, my body had finally given up - I hadn¡¯t. Because dying wasn¡¯t an option anymore, not if it was this lonely. Because after everything, I¡¯m still alive.
BIND GAME RABBIT 23: Before the Snow Melts CHAPTER 23 RABBIT 23: Before the Snow Melts
RABBIT ROOM With every death, the devils call for satisfaction. If left thirsty, as they always are, they¡¯ll call for something else: a game, of sorts. The Rabbit Game, coined as the ¡®Escape Game¡¯ by its Devil, is left unexplained. The Rabbit Devil has no interest in preparing the dead, rejecting that responsibility. Instead, it leaves the dead with a brief introduction, before willingly throwing prey into the fray, with the freedom to proceed as they wish. More than the other Devils, the Rabbit Devil indulges heavily in its fantasies, whether it hurts those involved or not. It keeps secrets and rejects the notion of helping the dead. A true antonym to the personality of the ¡®Rabbit¡¯. Though quick-witted and alert, it evidently enjoys the suffering of others. Otherwise, such a cruel fantasy wouldn¡¯t exist. The ¡®Escape Game¡¯ wouldn¡¯t exist. Or, so - that¡¯s what the dead believe. The Devils, too. Even the Rabbit Devil itself. Whatever the case, the only information the dead carry into the Rabbit Game is from the title, and the parting words of its Devil. The Rabbit Devil has a room too: The Rabbit Room. A small space, part of a traditional Japanese family home - most likely the living room. There are sliding doors connecting to different rooms of this house, but none will open, including those leading outdoors. Any windows or gaps connecting to an outside only lead to an infinite darkness; a space you cannot enter. And in that living room, the Rabbit Devil would sit with a cup of green tea on a comfy purple pillow, surrounded by cupboards, altars, tables and settees, all dating back to the early Sh¨­wa period. Sitting opposite of the Rabbit Devil is the dead. One being; or more. Certainly not less. The amount was irrelevant, as only one was in the room at a time. It depended on the time and who was looking, as to who the dead was. The Rabbit Devil was barely visible, lit by the hanging lantern attached to the ceiling. It had long black ears that curled at the tip, sprouting from its spherical head and extended circular centre, where the face was. It was a sickly beige colour, a black snout pointing forward, and a long tooth sticking from its lips. And, at the top, two empty, beady eyes that wouldn¡¯t move. Though it spoke in a light and playful tone, not only in fluent Japanese, but of Kansai-dialect, the Devil¡¯s words were harsh and bitter. ¡°Hello, and welcome~¡± it spoke in its dialect, a smirk growing on its face each time the dead would arrive. ¡°Got time to chat?¡± And it would ask that, knowing the exact amount of time they had. And it never cut to the chase, as it enjoyed the conversations with the dead. Yet despite running its mouth, it never let slip a single word of advice; nothing that the dead could use to their advantage. Because it didn¡¯t need to abide by the nonexistent rules of empathy; it only needed to do the bare minimum of introducing the dead to the game. And when finishing, it would part the dead with a final clue on how to win; ¡°To survive.¡±
SOUTH WEST APARTMENT KOBAYASHI AMANO The contention was ¡®where to go from here¡¯. Of the eight still alive, six of us were together and two missing. We had an idea of where they could both be, but finding them was a separate issue. Four of us were injured to different extents, and couldn¡¯t do much on our own. And the threats to our safety were anthropomorphic creatures with a drive to kill. Their numbers and potential were unknown. But they weren¡¯t our main threat. That was time. Our leisure for selfishness was gone; we could only grab the opportunities as they came. The first opportunity was helping Daikubara-san. In addition to the slashed artery in his shoulder, he had two fresh puncture wounds to the torso, which had led to minor internal bleeding before we arrived. Thankfully, the injuries to his torso only pierced the muscle. But he was in a very weakened state thanks to that, though. Not to mention the possibility of him developing an infection was high, thanks to the hours he spent in the damp basement. If it wasn¡¯t for Michifuku-san¡¯s aid, he would¡¯ve died. Additionally, the knife used to stab him was the Rabbit¡¯s, which was likely used to kill the Fox outside. Preventing infection at this point would be difficult, considering our limited resources. Leaving Daikubara-san behind wasn¡¯t an option, either, as we needed to convince Ishimasu-san and Konsako-san to come with us. Kuro-san understood that, so he didn¡¯t argue against it. That didn¡¯t mean we were going to adhere to all their demands, though. Konsako-san was very adamant about looking for Michifuku-san. ¡°She went out there to find you guys. We can¡¯t abandon her!¡± Konsako-san argued, his tone low. ¡°That was her decision,¡± Kuro-san replied without hesitation, not sparing a second to look him in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s pointless,¡± he then mumbled. That only irritated him further. ¡°BECAUSE he was bleeding to death!¡± This exhausting debacle had passed our point of interest. We¡¯d gone through this song and dance before. Michifuku-san entered the centre of town around the same time as us, but we didn¡¯t run into her nor hear her. It was too risky to even consider. It¡¯s not like I wanted to leave her behind, or Tatesada-san. But it wasn¡¯t worth it. Even if I could argue that I didn¡¯t want to risk my own safety, I still had to consider the safety of those in this apartment. ¡°We¡¯re cutting our losses,¡± Itogaya-san repeated himself. ¡°We can help Daikubara-san, but that¡¯s it. We¡¯re not staking our survival on anything else.¡± ¡°I get it, you wanna survive, right?¡± Konsako-san kicked, a nervous grin shaping. ¡°But don¡¯t you think they do, too?¡± The doctor could only dismiss him, lightly shaking his head. ¡°We can only think of our own survival.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just speaking for yourself¡­¡± he muttered in response. ¡°And you¡¯re going to get us killed,¡± Kuro-san interjected, overhearing those words. Taking a step towards Konsako-san, he shot him a whisper; ¡°Right now, our biggest threat isn¡¯t the predators, or time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± His unsympathetic words brought a chill to the cramped hall. Trying to find words for his response, Konsako-san blurted out; ¡°I-I¡¯m not trying to get anyone hurt- But I can¡¯t just sit here and let them die!¡± he yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not even asking for your help-¡± ¡°That¡¯s the issue,¡± he cut right back. ¡°You¡¯re willing to put us in danger so you can play ¡®hero¡¯. Do you not realise that¡¯s going to get you killed, too? Or do you not care?¡± he asked, his callous voice unmoving. But without giving him a chance to respond, he stated; ¡°You¡¯re going to get that child killed, too.¡± Konsako-san froze. ¡°Despite your intentions to save everyone, you¡¯re only going to get us killed,¡± Kuro-san reaffirmed. His eyes began darting around the room, looking to someone for defence, for someone to be on his side, but- I couldn¡¯t even look at him. None of us could. It wasn¡¯t even disgust on my part, but guilt. Even though his intentions are good, Kuro-san has a point. It was about time someone called him out. Maybe he was beginning to regret his earlier actions, second-guessing his attempt at distracting the Rabbit. After all, he couldn¡¯t do anything without help. He couldn¡¯t accomplish any saving on his own. But when his eyes met mine, for just a second, I read them, and they asked me; ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say something?¡± ¡°Ok, that¡¯s enough,¡± the doctor marked, bringing an end to the awkward flow. ¡°Moving on, let¡¯s decide how to proceed from here.¡± We moved from the entrance hall to a third floor apartment. Upon entering, I slid against the bathroom wall, separating myself for just a second to catch my breath. The regret ran down my face along with the sweat that had built up. They¡¯d brought up that Devil for the topic; the one we¡¯d spoken to individually before the game. But nothing new arised, as we shared the same little amount of information. ¡°Then we are all on the same page, in regards to what we were told,¡± Itogaya-san said, disappointed. ¡°But that means none of us have a hidden advantage, which is good.¡± ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± I asked, scratching my head as I left the bathroom. ¡°Anyway, it would¡¯ve been easier for that Devil to speak with us as a group, not individually,¡± I called out the Devil¡¯s lack of management. Itogaya-san didn¡¯t respond to my initial question, instead locking his eyes on mine, until Konsako-san spoke up. ¡°It wanted to talk about how I died, but not for long,¡± Konsako-san sighed; ¡°That¡¯s about it, though.¡± ¡°But it didn¡¯t reveal anything you did not know, did it?¡± Itogaya-san asked not only Konsako-san, but all of us. ¡°Any information regarding your death that you did not know would stay that way; for example, if you were murdered, but didn¡¯t know the identity of your murderer.¡± That seemed to be the census. ¡°Aside from the title, our only hint isn¡¯t of much use,¡± Kuro-san added, brushing it off as an unnecessary suggestion. That suggestion being ¡®to survive¡¯, as if that wasn¡¯t obvious enough. But it still made the effort of mentioning so to everyone¡­ ¡°Currently, time is acting as a chain, and it will continue to, so we need to keep that in mind,¡± the doctor said. ¡°And currently, that chain is attached to Daikubara-kun.¡± He looked towards the bedroom door, where the man rested next to Ishimasu-san. ¡°That chain will drag him down.¡± The dreary mentioning of Daikubara-san¡¯s eventual fate was loud enough for Ishimasu-san to hear. ¡°No more time can be wasted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to estimate the distance between here and our next stop,¡± Kuro-san rejoined. ¡°So if we¡¯re going to leave, we¡¯ll need a lot of supplies. We can¡¯t just use them over the next few days.¡± ¡°We¡¯re already low on water,¡± I furthered. Thirty-five bottles from the convenience store, each roughly seventeen ounces; a combined total of less than six-hundred. That¡¯s all we had, and we had to share between six people (at least for now). Less concerning was our food rations, which had also been collected from the convenience store: Reheatable meals, snacks, etc. They weren¡¯t out of date, somehow, and though unappealing, they were edible. ¡°Aside from Daikubara-kun who needs at least four, the rest of us can survive on two a day, each,¡± Itogaya-san explained. ¡°How long until he can move?¡± Kuro-san asked. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t enough time for his wounds to begin healing, so we can only wait until he¡¯s fully conscious. That¡¯ll require rest, so hopefully only one or two days. He will need suturing however.¡± If Daikubara-san is capable of moving and remaining conscious, that won¡¯t last for long. When the infections kick back in, he¡¯ll be knocked to the ground in no time. We¡¯ll have to take advantage of this opportunity too. ¡°That might give us enough time,¡± Kuro-san whispered to himself, entering the bedroom. But a feeling in my throat led me to ask one more question; ¡°What do we do until then?¡± A pause. ¡°Nothing that would put us in danger,¡± Itogaya-san replied. ¡°Though there are things I wish to approach, but I¡¯m not certain how or when to¡­¡± I tried asking him what was bothering him, but he ignored the prying.
ONE HOUR LATER If not for Daikubara-san, we¡¯d have likely moved to the factory by the gate. But the distance between this apartment and the exit gate wasn¡¯t bad, either. It was less than a ten minute walk. And it had accessible fire exits in case of emergency, one connected on each floor, as well as a firedoor in the main entrance. That gave us options. We kept a hold of the factory¡¯s ¡®weapons¡¯, too. They weren¡¯t much; a few metal pipes, cement blocks, general clutter and the Rabbit¡¯s knife. Only some of us were actually capable of using them properly, though. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Two days - if that. That¡¯s how long we had to wait. According to Kuro-san, roughly fourteen hours had already passed, so it would be ignorant to assume we¡¯d make it through the next fourty-eight unscathed. Because in just fourteen, we¡¯d suffered four losses and several attacks. ¡°Is¡­ he going to die?¡± asked Ishimasu-san, who sat by Daikubara-san¡¯s side, grasping his much bigger hand. ¡°I can¡¯t say, truthfully,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°He isn¡¯t in critical condition, just tired; but he will enter it if he doesn¡¯t receive help. Right now, the best help you can offer is staying by his side.¡± She nodded her head, clenching her grasp. That response seemed to satisfy Kuro-san, who finally took his watchful eyes off the girl. Konsako-san and I were in the living room, both of us silent for the last hour or so. I¡¯d only realised now, that since our encounter with the Rabbit, we really hadn¡¯t had the chance to talk. And in the last eleven hours that had passed since, I could see a vivid change in him. That optimism that clouded his bright blue eyes had thickened, and I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing. I lay on a dirty sofa, hoping the pain in my waist would subside, as he propped up against the window sill, watching over the streets outside. He almost looked like a different person, in a way; like a sense of maturity or realisation had washed over him. ¡°What would you have done if you were me?¡± he suddenly asked, as if he felt my eyes on him. ¡°That time with the Rabbit - if you were me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied, pointedly irritated by his pointless question. ¡°Do you think I made a mistake?¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s easy to say that now¡­ But I didn¡¯t think so, in that moment.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he softly spoke. ¡°I guess I understand.¡± I lifted my head. ¡°We¡¯re basically the same. Instead of going along with what our mind tells us, we follow our gut. Even if it¡¯s pointless, and makes things worse. As long as it helps someone else. Kind of like an instinct, right?¡± he turned. ¡°...I can¡¯t say,¡± I brushed him off. ¡°But because we¡¯re the same, I can tell just how different we are, too,¡± he added, his voice softening even more. ¡°That instinct for me; I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s instinct alone. It might be in my mind, too.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like that for you, is it? Your instinct isn¡¯t who you are,¡± he asked me. I was brought to a pause. Although his words always troubled me, these were the first that¡¯d totally caught me off guard. ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand why you looked so ashamed when you told me how you died,¡± he continued. ¡°It was like you regretted it, or maybe something else. That¡¯s just how it looked to me,¡± he nervously said. ¡°For me, that kind of death would make living worthwhile. It¡¯s way better than what I got.¡± And then, he asked me; ¡°So why did you look disappointed?¡± Funnily enough, the Rabbit Devil had asked me the same question. I just didn¡¯t mention it to anyone, because it looked like I was the only one who was asked it. But it didn¡¯t make much sense to me, because - why was the Rabbit Devil unsatisfied? Did it really matter that much, especially when I was? Does its feelings matter more than mine? In most people¡¯s perspectives, I died a good death. It was basically painless, and I¡¯d earned it. And that just makes it clear to me that I don¡¯t deserve to be here. And I don¡¯t deserve the life I¡¯m fighting for. If I have the opportunity to take it, I probably won¡¯t. I¡¯d likely pass it to someone who deserves it more, like Konsako-san. He died an unfair death, unlike me. So why is someone like me in the same boat as someone like him- -No, it doesn¡¯t matter. Even if I¡¯ve convinced myself to feel this way, I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t do it. Nothing else matters when I¡¯m too scared to even die - whether I want to live or not. Giving up now would be easy, sure, but if I keep fighting, maybe I¡¯ll find something to fight for. Maybe I¡¯ll figure out who I am. If I¡¯m the type of person who¡¯ll say one thing, but do something different when their instinct kicks in. Or if I¡¯m someone else. Despite saying it again and again, repeating it until it hurts to mention; I still protected those inside the convenience store. I said it back then, that I didn¡¯t know why; that I couldn¡¯t let it end like this; because it would be unfair. It¡¯s similar to what Konsako-san said earlier; how everyone wants to survive. So I probably do understand him a little bit. But as Itogaya-san said; we can only think of our own survival. That doesn¡¯t mean Konsako-san¡¯s perspective on things is completely wrong. But it is flawed. But even if I agree with Itogaya-san, I still acted in the opposite. So did he. What made me do that? What is this ¡®instinct¡¯ inside of me? Even if I¡¯m not shaped by it, I¡¯m undeniably binded by it.
December 15th, 2009 Kobayashi Amano, Age Nine The snow that month was unforgettable; it didn¡¯t end. That¡¯s why I was late that morning, thinking we¡¯d have the day off. We didn¡¯t. That was humiliating enough, not to mention I was covered head to toe in bumps and bruises. Not that that was a rare sight or anything, but after a while, people start to speculate past a child¡¯s ¡®excuses¡¯. If I wasn¡¯t who I was, they wouldn¡¯t have bought my excuses. They would have contacted a children¡¯s welfare centre. ¡°Amano-kun, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re on cleanup duty today,¡± Sensei said, adding to my embarrassment; ringing me out in front of the class. I despondently answered him, then sat down, and dropped my head on the table. Poke. ¡°What?¡± I mumbled under my breath, not even lifting my head to see who wanted my attention. ¡°What happened to your face?¡± my seat neighbour Haji-kun whispered. I stopped shy of punching him in the face for that question alone. ¡°I¡¯m not telling.¡± ¡°Ehhhhhh? Come on!¡± he began whining, forcing me to force his lips shut. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, so shut up!¡± I growled. ¡°Amano-kun, Haruji-kun¡­¡± sensei exhaled, and we went silent. We bickered and argued a lot, even if our homeroom teacher was talking. It stayed that way from the beginning of elementary up until the final year. That got us into trouble a lot, but I don¡¯t think sensei disliked us, and our classmates found us funny (most of the time). But I wish things were different back then. Though impulsive, I still brought about intentions everyday, knowing what would happen if I walked into class looking as if I¡¯d been in an accident. I was a kid, after all. And like usual at break, Haji-kun pulled his seat closer to me. ¡°Another fight, hahh?¡± he sighed as he stretched his arms across his desk, sucking on a juice carton. ¡°You gotta grow up already. We¡¯re gonna be middle schoolers soon¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you telling me that, idiot!¡± I shouted. ¡°And, anyway, you¡¯re just saying that cus¡¯ you were home sick yesterday and couldn¡¯t follow me around!¡± ¡°If I did you wouldn¡¯t look like that.¡± ¡°Stalker!¡± I retorted, and him back; ¡°Ugly!¡± I didn¡¯t share the details behind that fight. Not to him, sensei or even my parents. Because the details didn¡¯t matter. They never did. At least, not to me. Haji-kun felt differently. Maybe that¡¯s why he followed me home that day, and why I should¡¯ve thought twice about walking that same path. I knew they would be there, and I knew he was ¡®stalking¡¯ me. ¡°Ahh, shit¡­ it¡¯s that bitch again.¡± I heard one of the middle schoolers groan, lifting his large round body off the riverbank edge and wiping the snow off his pants. One by one, the other boys gathered around, each mumbling words of irritation; ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss my anime¡­¡± and ¡°Do we hafta?¡± They weren¡¯t laughing like last time. Though it¡¯s not as if they were scared. They just couldn¡¯t be bothered. And I hated that more than anything. I would¡¯ve preferred if they¡¯d mocked me, underestimated me or ran away like cowards. But they didn¡¯t. Because middle schoolers are stubborn too. I always took the first hit. It¡¯s the hardest one to take, so once you got past it, it was never difficult to stay on your feet. Any hits that landed afterwards were like bug bites; they¡¯d just bounce off you, and you¡¯d hit back even harder. Your opponent realises that despite the sweat and exhaustion, nothing is happening. They usually fold at that point. And I loved that more than anything. But not even a minute passed before I was in the snow, toppled by a larger boy with a furrowing expression. ¡°Fucking punk!¡± he shouted, grabbing at my face and hair. I kicked and punched at his chest, trying to push back, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. It was like a giant boulder had fallen on me. The tears began welling up in my eyes for reasons I couldn¡¯t understand. I felt powerless. It didn¡¯t matter how many punches I could take when I couldn¡¯t even move. It was obvious I¡¯d rushed into things, not taking into account I could barely walk straight. But in an instant, the situation flipped. All of a sudden, my view of the sky was clear, and before I even realised what had happened, I spotted the larger boy at the bottom of the riverbank. ¡°Go away, Haji!¡± I scowled, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help!¡± ¡°Then why are you crying, dummy?¡± he snickered. I realised the reason behind my tears. Haji-kun¡¯s surprise attack didn¡¯t amount to much. He caught the big guy off guard, then got his ass kicked. Even though he sucked at stalking, no one but me ever seemed to notice him sneaking up. That made him useful in fights, sometimes. Fights against anyone but me. Most of the time however, he¡¯d run up making as much noise as possible, yelling something heroic he¡¯d read in last week''s manga, before getting his ass kicked anyway. It was difficult walking home that evening. At this point, our parents were bound to lock us up forever; we always came home looking like we¡¯d been through war (and in our minds, we had). I remember Haji-kun asking me something then; something that stuck with me. Not through its meaning or nuance, though. But because of how stupid it was. I remember Haji-kun asking me something then; the same question at break. It stuck with me at that moment, but not because it was deep or thought provoking. But because it was stupid. ¡°Why were you fighting those guys anyway?¡± I stopped, and paused, and then hit him across the back of the head, having sprung from my feet and slamming my fist down as if I hadn¡¯t just taken the beating of a lifetime. ¡°WHAT¡¯D YOU DO THAT FOR?!¡± he cried, rubbing the additional bump on his head. ¡°I tried knocking some sense into you! But you got knocked around enough today, so it did nothing!¡± I explained. ¡°So why¡¯d you hit me?!¡± I placed my palms, pulsing with pain, into the thick snow below. ¡°Why did you even help me if you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± he whimpered, standing back up and wiping his own tears. ¡°Cus¡¯ why not?¡± I almost hit him a second time. To me, that wasn¡¯t really an answer. It sounded more like an excuse to get one¡¯s hands dirty. Not that I had any room to talk, of course. I couldn¡¯t even answer his initial question. I didn¡¯t know the answer, or rather, I knew it but didn¡¯t want to say. I didn¡¯t know the reason behind the bruises, the blood in the snow or the warmth I felt in my chest, in spite of the winter¡¯s callous breeze.
December 22nd, 2009 An announcement was made through the school speakers around lunchtime, asking all grades to wait in their homerooms. The snow was predicted to reach a dangerous level, and all guardians had been advised to collect their children early. I lived very close to the school though, so I wasn¡¯t a point of concern. Sensei made sure to take advantage of that. While everyone else waited in the classrooms, I had to carry two heavy bags of trash to the outdoor incinerator. They had to have weighed double me. Having forgotten I was on cleaning duty last week, and the week before that, and pretty much every week this term, I could no longer get away with any excuses. Even though this time I actually did have a cold, courtesy of my actions last week. A boy in my class called Tadano was supposed to help me, but he flaked. Undeniably karma. I couldn¡¯t rely on anyone, even for a simple task. Everyone reached a census that I was getting what I deserved, even if they pitied me just the slightest. I would¡¯ve considered asking Haji-kun, or forcing him, but I couldn¡¯t. Because we had a fight that day. I don¡¯t remember what it was about. I¡¯m not sure if I even remembered that same day. Yet despite wanting to reshape his face, I couldn¡¯t help regretting the fight. Maybe because of that karma. What I do remember was telling him to stay away from me forever. I told him to change his seat in class. I told him to move away from my house, since he was my neighbour. I don¡¯t know if I meant those things at the time, but they still left my mouth. I still said them to him. I can look at those words as childish and stupid now, but I can only imagine how much it hurt him at the time. So I couldn¡¯t expect him to help me. But a nudge on my shoulder that almost knocked me to the ground had extinguished that thought. Quickly catching myself before falling, I scraped my palm against the outside wall, calling out; ¡°What are you-¡± But I cut, looking towards the boy who had pulled one hefty bag from my hands. He didn¡¯t say anything. He just walked over to the incinerator like some shounen protagonist, then tripped, clumsily picked himself back up, and dumped the bag inside. His face of superiority, or rather, his completely inoffensive expression that I¡¯d mistakenly interpreted as superiority at the time, had ticked me off. Just like everything else he did. Despite it weighing double me, I gripped the bag of trash and lifted it above my shoulder, before HURLING it towards Haji-kun. His scream was cut short before he fell back to the ground, decorated in the snow - and our classroom¡¯s litter. It didn¡¯t take long for dozens of curious kids and staff alike to run over after hearing the commotion. I got in more trouble for that, mostly with sensei irritated by the mess I¡¯d made. He¡¯d told me I hadn¡¯t even taken out the trash, I replied I did. He didn¡¯t find that funny, and I got in even more trouble. But they couldn¡¯t keep me for long, thanks to the snow. So once my ¡®lesson¡¯ was over, I raced home, not even taking the time to put on my outdoor shoes. Though I wouldn¡¯t admit it, I was probably looking for an excuse to run into Haji-kun, since he took the same path as me. But I didn¡¯t. And after waiting outside our house gates for more than my patience could take (five minutes), I left it. Haji-kun didn¡¯t tell on me. He didn¡¯t need to, since the whole school put two and two together. My mom wasn¡¯t phased by the phone call, though. It was just another incident that¡¯d be resolved the next day. That never stopped her from discussing it with me, though. Even if it led to frighteningly little, or only reaffirmed her beliefs, she would take the time to talk about what happened. I always hated it, since I knew I was in the wrong, and I didn¡¯t need that reaffirmed for me either. ¡°Are you going to apologise?¡± she would ask gently, knowing fully well what the answer would be. ¡°Tomorrow¡­¡± I would reply, looking for any way out. ¡°Why not today?¡± ¡°Cus¡¯... it¡¯s better. Cus¡¯ we have school and stuff,¡± I whined. ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t think you will. School¡¯s closed tomorrow.¡± My head perked up. ¡°But, maybe it won¡¯t snow, maybe it¡¯ll stop and then we can go-¡± ¡°Not the snow, silly. It¡¯s Emperor¡¯s Day tomorrow. All schools are shut.¡± I couldn¡¯t argue with her. I knew that then. I always did. ¡°Never leave it until tomorrow, even if you did have school,¡± she would finish, resuming her work in the kitchen while I sat on a nearby stool, left with my own messy thoughts. I spent the rest of that afternoon in my bedroom, brooding and indecisive. I hardly ate that night, and got little sleep. I think some people find that it¡¯s easier to do nothing than to do something; as I do. But that procrastination only comes back to bite you, when things are decided for you. And you never have anyone else to blame for that.
December 23rd, 2009 Breakfast that morning brought further humiliation. My mom opened the door to the insistent knocking and asked me to come over. Haji-kun was dressed for the winter snow, a cold blush on his cheeks. Before I knew it, my mom had left us alone. ¡°Are you coming?¡± he asked. ¡°Where?¡± I nervously mumbled. ¡°To play. Idiot.¡± What a blank stare, I thought to myself. Not a hint of irritation or frustration; nor anxiety or hesitation. He really was a good person, even at that age. Someone I never deserved. Someone who deserved better. That¡¯s the type of person he was.
THE SOUTH-WEST APARTMENT I still struggle to understand him, or these memories, or myself. What kind of person am I compared to Haji-kun? What kind of person was I to hurt him every single day? What kind of person did I want to be, when all I did was fight without reason? Did Haji-kun have a reason? Still, I reached the same answer I always have: ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to be here.¡± Those sickening words that I¡¯ve repeated endlessly, inside and outside this game, at any point in my life where I¡¯ve experienced something good. I don¡¯t deserve any of it. I¡¯ve convinced myself of that. It¡¯s like this; it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I was there at any point. That day when I first met Sadako, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I was there. Haji-kun would¡¯ve gone out of his way to help her, without a hint of hesitation, even if it meant getting beaten up. It didn¡¯t matter that I was there. That day at the riverbank, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I was there. Haji-kun wouldn¡¯t have ended up with those bruises unless he had a reason, and he didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t either. It didn¡¯t matter that I was there. And that day, by the incinerator, Haji-kun would¡¯ve picked up my slack whether I was there or not. That¡¯s the kind of person he was. It just didn¡¯t matter if I was there. And that day by the incinerator, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I was there. Haji-kun would¡¯ve picked up my slack if I was there or not. That''s the kind of person he is. It just didn¡¯t matter if I was there. If anything, I only made it worse by being there. I always gave Haji-kun a hard time afterwards, despite his intentions. I¡¯d make a nuisance out of myself and start fights for no reason and get mad at anyone who¡¯d try to help me. So in my life, has my presence ever mattered- ¡°But it doesn¡¯t really matter that much, Kobayashi-san,¡± said Konsako-san, interrupting my spiralling mind. ¡°No matter what kind of person you are, selfish, selfless or just indecisive, you still helped someone else.¡± ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he continued. ¡°Because you¡¯re the type of person who¡¯ll help others when they need it. That¡¯s more than enough, I think,¡± he ended with a smile, despite the thickening fog behind his eyes. He smiled, despite everything he¡¯d been through. He was bright, and warm. I think for the first time in a long time I might cry. I don¡¯t understand him. I don¡¯t understand any of them. Despite what they¡¯ve been through, they don¡¯t hesitate to look at the light in someone, as if the darkness didn¡¯t exist. I¡¯m almost envious. But that didn¡¯t negate my feelings, even if it made me feel better. Because it didn¡¯t answer my question of whether or not I deserved to be here. Even if my intentions are good, which I still doubt they are, do I really deserve to be here? Even if I make things worse for everyone? ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Itogaya-san, I would¡¯ve died without accomplishing anything¡­¡± I laughed, my eyes drifting towards the blank ceiling. ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t for you, would sensei have beaten the Fox?¡± he asked. ¡°Why you would risk your life for people you don¡¯t even know¡­ I still don¡¯t understand. But when I heard your voice, I didn¡¯t hesitate.¡± He said something similar, didn¡¯t he? If it wasn¡¯t for me, would Itogaya-san be there in the first place? ¡°I hope you can find your balance, Kobayashi-kun. Because with the way you are now, you¡¯re going to fall.¡± The type of person to help others, even if for selfish reasons, even if for selfless reasons; that¡¯s the type of person I am, supposedly. In that case, what would balance me? ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to be here.¡± Maybe, but then again- -I¡¯m kind of glad I was.
BIND GAME