Battle Royale

Shuya took the coat and draped the blanket over her shoulder again.

Shogo came in after a while. Like a waiter, he carried a round tray full of bowls on one hand. Steam rose from the bowls. As he lowered the tray he said, "Here you are, madame."

Shuya chuckled. "So she gets room service?"

"Well, the food isn't exactly first class. I hope it tastes all right though." Shogo put the entire tray on the bed and placed the bowls next to her.

Noriko looked down and asked, "Soup?"

"Yes ma'am," Shogo replied in English, which sounded pretty fluent to Shuya's ears.

"Thanks," Noriko said and took the spoon. She brought the bowl to her lips and swallowed a mouthful. "It's delicious." She raised her voice. "There's egg in it."

Shuya then looked at Shogo.

"It's our special, ma'am."

"Where'd you find that?" Shuya asked. All the fresh food in the refrigerator was rotten, probably because the government had moved the civilians out a while ago. All the other houses were probably in the same condition.

Shogo looked at Shuya out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "I found a house that kept a hen. It looked like it hadn't been fed in a while and looked pretty weak."

Shuya exaggeratedly shook his head. "When we ate I didn't notice any eggs."

Shogo lifted his brows. "I only found one. Sorry. I'm nicer to girls. That's just how I am."

Shuya laughed, sniggering.

Shogo returned to the kitchen and brought over some tea. Shuya and Shogo drank tea while Noriko ate her meal. The tea had a mild sweetness and a pleasant, nostalgic odor.

"Damn," Shuya groaned. "I feel like everything's fine, the three of us sitting around like this."

Shogo smiled and said, "I'll make some coffee later. Would you prefer tea, Noriko?"

Her spoon still in her mouth, Noriko smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Shogo." Shuya had more to say. Of course the fact was that they were still in this killing game, but now that Noriko seemed to be recovering, he was feeling a little gushy. "Some day the three of us, let's all get together for some tea. We'll sit on the veranda and enjoy the cherry blossoms."

It was highly unlikely. Nonetheless Shogo shrugged his shoulders and said, "I thought you were a rocker. You sound like an old man."

"I know. You're not the first one to tell me that."

Shogo chuckled. Shuya laughed, and so did Noriko.

Noriko finished her meal and said, "Thank you." Shogo gathered her bowls. He signaled with his other hand for Shuya's cup, which Shuya handed over.

"Shogo," Noriko said, "I feel totally fine now. Thank you so much. And I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

Shogo smiled and replied, "You're welcome," in English. "But it looks like the antibiotic wasn't necessary."

"No. I know this sounds weird, but I think it made me feel secure enough to fall asleep."

Shogo smiled again and added, "Well, you could still be suffering from septicemia. In any case, you should rest a little more. Take it easy." Shogo then said to Shuya, "Do you mind if I catch some sleep?"

Shuya nodded. "You tired?"

"No, not really, but it's best to sleep when you can. Once we leave here, I'll stay up through the night. Is that all right?"

"Yeah sure, that's fine."

Shogo nodded, took the tray, and headed towards the hall. "Shogo, you should sleep here," Noriko said, signaling towards the bed next to hers.

Shogo glanced back at her from the door and smiled as if saying, no thank you. "I don't want to intrude on you two. I'll sleep on the sofa in this room." He tilted his head in that direction and added, "Please be considerate to your neighbors though if you get intimate."

In the dim room Shuya could see Noriko's face flush. Shogo then left the room. Beyond the half opened door, Shuya heard him walk out of the kitchen and into the waiting room. It became quiet.

Noriko broke into a smile and said, "Shogo's so funny." Perhaps it was because of the meal, her face seemed more animated.

"Yeah, he is," Shuya smiled too. "I'd never talked to him until now, but he kind of reminds me of Shinji."

They didn't resemble each other at all physically, but Shogo's crude and blunt speech and his ability to still be humorous through it all resembled The Third Man. Not to mention the way he was the anti-model student and yet managed to be incredibly smart and reliable.

Noriko nodded. "You know you're right. Totally." Then Noriko uttered, "I wonder where Shinji is."

Shuya took a deep breath. He'd been wondering whether there was any way to contact him, but given Noriko's condition he couldn't afford to do anything.

"Yeah, if he were only with us..."

With Shinji along and with Shogo on their side, Shuya thought they couldn't be defeated. And if Hiroki Sugimura were with them they would be fearless and invincible.