"K, wait a second. If you go out right now, it's dangerous."
"...What? What do you mean, dangerous?"
As I hurried to leave the dorm, Mukuro grabbed my arm. I shot her a baffled look, and she turned her eyes toward the entrance before speaking.
"Gokuhara is still lurking around nearby. If what happened earlier happens again, we're screwed, aren't we?"
"Then... what do we do?"
"I'll head out first and scout the area for a bit. If Gokuhara isn't there... I'll come back, and then we'll go together."
"We don't exactly have time to spare..."
"It's better than dragging Gokuhara around with us, isn't it?"
"...Yeah. That's true."
Her logic clicked into place fast. I let Mukuro go outside to scout ahead, then sat down on the bed and waited for her to return.
"...Damn it. I really shouldn't have passed out back there... stupid useless weak body."
While I sat there cursing my pre-amnesia self for apparently never exercising in advance, I suddenly sensed someone outside the door.
"...Mukuro? You're back already?"
I asked cautiously, assuming Mukuro had already finished scouting and returned, but instead of her voice answering me—
Shffft.
"...Huh?"
A single note slid in through the gap beneath the door.
I approached carefully and checked what was written on it.
"What the... wait, what!?"
I had no choice but to stare in horror.
"Tojo... that crazy bitch..."
.
.
.
.
.
"Damn it, does that guy have some kind of grudge against us!?"
"In! Sect!!"
"I'm gonna lose my mind! Please stop chasing us already!!"
Right now, I'm slung across Mukuro's back as we search for Tojo while fleeing from Gonta.
How did things end up like this?
Simple. Not long after we left the dorm, Gonta appeared out of nowhere and pounced on us.
Even though Mukuro had scouted the area thoroughly, he still found us. Which meant Tojo had definitely pulled some kind of trick behind the scenes.
Of course, if Mukuro had gone all-out head-on, she probably could have subdued Gonta. But time was bleeding away by the second, and when I decided we had to find Tojo first, Mukuro hoisted me onto her back and started running.
And thanks to that, this deranged midnight chase was now in full swing.
"Damn it... this isn't working. If we just keep running like this, dawn will break before we ever find Tojo!"
"Th-then what do we do...?"
"I've got an idea. First, lure Gonta to the gym."
"...Okay!"
The instant I finished speaking, Mukuro changed direction mid-run and bolted toward the gym.
"Oma-kun said I absolutely have to bring you two with me!! Because you're children who don't understand the beauty of insects!!"
"Come on already! We like bugs too!!"
"Yeah!! Do you know how many times insects saved my life on the battlefield!?"
"...Oma-kun said if you said that, it means you used insects as emergency rations."
"Uh, well, that's..."
"I knew iiiiiit!!! You ate them!!! You ate the insects!!!"
We kept fleeing from Gonta, who was so thoroughly brainwashed by Oma that reason simply wouldn't penetrate, and at last we reached the gym.
"K, we're here! What now?"
Mukuro asked me urgently. I took one deep breath, then answered.
"Put me down! I'll look for Tojo on my own!"
"What!? No way!!"
Just as expected, Mukuro practically shrieked. I answered her with absolute firmness.
"This is the only option we've got right now. You just need to subdue Gonta as fast as possible."
"What?"
"That's why I had you bring him somewhere wide and open where it'd be easier to fight. Beat Gonta here as quickly as you can, then come meet up with me."
"B-but..."
"It's already past midnight. That means we might already be too late. So we need to find Tojo as fast as possible."
Even after hearing that, Mukuro hesitated for a moment—then shouted again.
"But you're weak! From what I've seen, the only person you could beat one-on-one is Yumeno!"
"...So I can beat Yumeno?"
"Yeah... with maybe a seventy to eighty percent chance... no, that's not the point! I'm not letting you go alone!"
"...Then just lend me one of the self-defense weapons you're carrying."
"E-even so..."
"You'll have a harder time fighting if you're dragging me around, won't you? And if I get taken hostage, it's game over."
"....."
"So hurry up and give me a weapon. If it's you, you'll be able to put Gonta down fast."
"...Okay. But don't you dare push yourself too hard."
Only then did Mukuro finally set me down and pull something out from inside her clothes.
"This is... a knife...?"
"I grabbed it from the kitchen. If I'm not carrying a knife... I get anxious."
"Uoooooooh!!"
"Tch, no helping it... this'll have to do..."
In my opinion, a knife was way too vicious to count as a self-defense weapon, but I didn't exactly have the luxury of being picky. I snatched it and sprinted for the exit.
"Where do you think you're going!? Come with Gonta and enjoy the insects—"
"Not this time."
Just like before, Gonta charged straight at me—but Mukuro stepped in front of him and began radiating a murderous aura.
"...You'd better brace yourself, emergency-ration manager."
"I'll... teach you... that insects... are not... emergency rations..."
And so, after K departed, the two left behind glared at each other while exuding a thoroughly ominous pressure.
"Then... let's see what you've got... hm?"
Mukuro growled in a low voice and started slowly advancing on Gonta, but then she noticed something and tilted her head.
"Uooooooooh!!"
"Tch. What a pain."
But when Gonta came barreling toward her, she snapped her attention back to him and launched herself forward in response.
Boooom!!
And with that, the savage clash began.
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'Please... don't let me be too late...'
Right now, I was sprinting at full speed toward the research lab of the [Ultimate Tennis Pro].
And the reason was obvious: the note I'd just received.
"I already know you've figured out, at least to some extent, what I was planning to do. I don't know how you found out, but perhaps that truly is what it means to be the [Ultimate Counselor]."
When I first read that part, I was dumbfounded. After all, my icy little performance the other day had been such a smashing success that I'd started taking a bit of pride in my acting skills.
Well, Oma had seen through me... but I'd chalked that up to him being the kind of bastard who lies as naturally as breathing. And yet Tojo had seen straight through my intentions too.
"At present, I have rendered Hoshi Ryoma unconscious and taken him with me. Naturally, where I've placed him is a secret. It is one of the cards in my hand."
Reading that line drove the point home all over again: those mysterious memories I saw in that black void really were glimpses of the future. Because in the end, Tojo had targeted Hoshi after all.
Still, I don't think all my efforts up to now were wasted. If I hadn't interfered, Tojo probably wouldn't have sent a note like this at all—she would have just killed Hoshi.
And the reason I think that becomes obvious in the next part of the note.
"At first, the moment I knocked Hoshi unconscious, I intended to kill him. But why was it that every time I tried, your face rose before me? I tried over and over to ignore it and kill him anyway, but in the end, I still haven't been able to do it. So... please help me, Mr. Counselor. Before I kill him, I want you to persuade me."
[Tojo Kirumi]
"Good grief. I was really hoping you, at least, weren't a lunatic..."
At this point, I was becoming deeply concerned that Akamatsu, Saihara, and Amami might also have some kind of psychological defect lurking under the hood.
How was it possible that out of eighteen people, four—no, wait, make that three, since I have amnesia—might all be mentally unstable?
'Well... when you get down to it, this message itself could still be a trap meant to kill me.'
The reason I couldn't dismiss that possibility was because of the postscript at the end of Tojo's note.
"P.S. After reading this note, you are to come alone to the classroom of the [Ultimate Tennis Pro]. I have more than enough means to monitor you, so I suggest you don't try anything foolish. If you bring anyone else despite that... I will kill Hoshi and then kill myself. I've already prepared an environment where I can kill him with the slightest movement of my hand."
Because of that, I had no choice but to leave Mukuro behind and head for the lab alone.
Honestly, I was scared out of my mind. But what else could I do? This was the price I paid for underestimating the madness of the students of Saishu Academy and carelessly approaching Tojo.
Now that it had come to this, I had to take responsibility too.
Trap or not, I was going to drag out whatever this [Ultimate Counselor] talent of mine really was and use it to persuade Tojo somehow.
'...Was I always this self-sacrificing?'
I didn't know for sure, but I had a strange feeling that this was the kind of person I had been before I lost my memories.
And... to be honest, most of the time they still felt like a pack of lunatics, but lately, whenever I looked at the students of Saishu Academy, this inexplicable urge to protect them kept swelling up inside me.
Just what kind of guy was I before I lost my memories?
'...The director of a psychiatric ward or something?'
After indulging that ridiculous thought for a moment, I shook it off and started thinking seriously about what I should do once I met Tojo.
'First... if I go in and Tojo's there, what do I do? Do I subdue her first? Can I even subdue her? Should I threaten her with the knife? No, that might provoke her...'
My mind was racing too hard for any convincing plan to take shape.
I shook my head, drove out the clutter, and kept running. Before I knew it, the research lab of the [Ultimate Tennis Pro] had come into view.
'...Okay. Don't panic. Just keep it together. Just stay sharp... just...'
With my heart trembling in my chest, I opened the door to the lab.
"...Hello."
"Tojo..."
Inside, Tojo was looking at me with a sorrowful expression.
"You really did come alone. That's a relief. If I'd sensed the presence of that girl you always keep hidden nearby, I was going to kill Hoshi immediately and then kill myself."
"...So that means you knew all along that every time I met you, I had Mukuro hidden somewhere nearby?"
"Yes. It was nearly perfect camouflage... but your anxious eyes kept drifting somewhere, so I was able to figure it out. Even so, among all the types of assassins I've dealt with until now, she was the hardest to see through."
"...More importantly, what exactly is your goal here? You have a reason for doing this, don't you?"
"The motive doesn't matter. What's important is... persuading me, K."
"...So you saw that 'video' too, didn't you?"
The instant the keyword "video" left my mouth, Tojo flinched. It was only for a split second, but I didn't miss it, and I pressed the advantage.
"Just as I thought... you saw it too, didn't you? That video."
"If you saw it too, then..."
"Yeah. I saw it too."
The moment I said that, Tojo's eyes went wide.
"Hhk...!!"
"T-Tojo!?"
"Hhuuugh... hhuuuugh..."
And then she collapsed on the spot and burst into tears.
"Th-that... after seeing something that shocking... how is anyone supposed to stay sane...?"
"W-wait... Tojo... calm down first..."
"I can't... calm down... after seeing something like that... you're the strange one for being so composed...!!!"
"....."
I never expected Tojo to panic so suddenly. At minimum, I'd been bracing myself for a suffocating battle of wits, threats, maybe even an outright brawl.
"I-I... after seeing that video... I couldn't keep my reason any longer... so... before I knew it... Hoshi..."
"...You knocked him out?"
"I-I didn't mean to! But... when I saw an opening while he was putting away the tennis balls... before I knew it... I just..."
"..."
"Most of the others hadn't witnessed anything yet... so I thought if I killed him and built a trick... I might be able to survive alone... but every time I tried to kill him... I kept seeing your face... the way you were kind to me... over and over..."
Tojo, her face drenched in tears, looked up at me and spoke.
"So... I wanted counseling from you... I... what am I supposed to do...? In a situation like this, I... I...!!"
'This might actually end more simply than I thought...'
Thinking that, I cleared my throat and spoke.
"Anyway, Hoshi isn't dead yet, right?"
"Y-yeah... right now... he's still alive."
"That's good. At least you haven't crossed the final line. Then tell me where he is."
"B-but..."
"You said we'd share the burden, remember? I don't know what was in that video, and I don't know how much pain it's causing you... but I can help carry that burden with you."
"B-but... you saw that horrible video too..."
As she said that, Tojo stood there pale as death, trembling violently. I looked straight into her eyes and began to speak.
"...No. That video gave me resolve."
"...Resolve?"
"The resolve to crush the Mastermind no matter what... save everyone... and get all of us out of here together."
"How... how is that possible...? Why are you... able to be that strong...?"
Hearing that, I gave her a bitter smile and answered.
"...Because I realized there are precious people I have to protect, even if I have to force that resolve into existence."
"...."
"And you're the same. You were probably threatened using someone precious to you. But... despairing here won't accomplish anything, will it? If we don't know what happened to them... then if you look at it another way, that means there's still room for hope."
"Ho...pe...?"
"Yeah. I believe in the people precious to me. And..."
'...I believe in Kyoko Kirigiri. I don't know who she is to me, but if those children really are her kids... then she's definitely doing everything she can for them.'
I decided to trust Kyoko Kirigiri out there beyond these walls. I still couldn't remember her clearly, but on some instinctive level, I'd already realized that I trusted her—and that I had the ability to be someone she could trust too.
Since I'd entrusted the outside to her, then I had to handle the inside.
"...I believe in you too, Tojo. In Tojo Kirumi—the girl who served everyone, who had a warmer heart than anyone else."
"...You... believe in me... hhk... ngh..."
After that, Tojo cried bitterly for a long time. I left her alone for a while, giving her enough space to gather her heart.
"...Thank you. Thanks to you... I understand now... what it is I've done... and... what I have to do from here..."
Eventually, Tojo spoke to me through her tears, and I answered with a gentle smile.
"Yeah. You'll wake Hoshi up... and apologize to him."
As I said that, I took Tojo's hand and helped her to her feet.
"Tojo, where is Hoshi right now?"
"Over there... in that room..."
"That's...?"
"That's the research lab of the [Ultimate Prisoner]. Hoshi's other room. I knocked him out and tied him up in there."
Leaving behind Tojo, who wore a face steeped in guilt, I started toward the research lab of the [Ultimate Prisoner].
"Get ready to apologize to him in advance, Tojo. No matter how you slice it, what you did was a serious crime."
At last, I took hold of the doorknob and spoke to her in a low voice.
"...Do you think he'll forgive me?"
"Well... considering what you did, the odds are high that he won't. But don't worry. I'll help carry the burden with you. I'll stay by your side while you apologize. If you want, I can even defend you and—"
"No. I don't need that. That's something I have to do myself."
I was turning the knob and answering Tojo's lonely question when she suddenly cut me off.
"Hm? Well... I guess that's true... an apology has to come from the person who—"
"...In hell."
"...Wait, what?"
Bzzzt!!!
The moment I opened the door, her voice had gone glacially cold—and what I saw inside froze me solid.
"What... is this...?"
Instead of Hoshi, the room was filled with complicated devices. Wires and strings connected to those mechanisms stretched long out through the room's window—and they were attached to the door I had just opened.
"What the hell... is this supposed to..."
I stood there, utterly lost, when Tojo walked up behind me and whispered into my ear.
"Congratulations. You've become the blackened."
"...What!?"
I recoiled in shock and spun around. She was staring at me with a colder expression than I'd ever seen on her face.
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
"It's simple. The moment you opened this door, the trap door mechanism I set in advance activated. As a result, Hoshi—far away from here—just lost his life."
"That's impossible!!!"
"Denying it is pointless. Hoshi is already dead, and from this moment onward, you are the blackened. No one can undo that now."
The panicked, broken girl from moments ago had vanished without a trace. Tojo declared it all in a hollow voice, her face cold and lifeless.
"No... that's impossible... this can't be happening... it can't..."
My mind turned completely white. I staggered backward and collapsed, muttering to myself, but Tojo only kept speaking in that same frigid tone.
"Enough. Accept it."
"Why... why would you do this?"
"..."
"Why the hell would you do something like this!? Whyyyyyy!?"
At last, rage exploded out of me in a scream. Tojo stepped closer and opened her mouth.
"You said earlier that seeing the video gave you resolve, didn't you?"
"Yeah...!!! The resolve to save everyone!!! So why...!? Why would you...!!!"
"I gained resolve too."
"...What?"
Tojo stared straight at me, then squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.
"The resolve to make absolutely sure you survive this place and get out alive."
"What... what are you talking about...?"
When I asked again, still unable to comprehend, she opened her eyes and looked down at me.
"At first, when I saw that video, I couldn't remember. But the more time I spent with you, the clearer my memories became... memories of the person I used to serve..."
"The person... you served...?"
"Yes... the one person who, for the sake of this world's future... I must save, even at the cost of my life... and even if it means sacrificing the lives of others..."
She looked down at me as she said it. Then, when she saw me begin to tremble, her expression turned sorrowful and she stepped closer.
"Don't tell me... that person is..."
"Yes... that's right... that person is..."
Then she wrapped her arms around me and whispered:
"...You, Kirigiri K."
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