Battle Royale

It was probably related to her memory of her father. Even though he wasn't a stepfather—he was her real father—he drank heavily and abused her mother, her older brother, and Yuko herself. She was too young back then...so Yuko didn't understand why. She was never able to ask her mother why he was like that. She didn't even want to remember it. Well, maybe there were no reasons at all. She didn't know. In any case, when her father was stabbed to death by a yakuza over some gambling dispute—Yuko was still in first grade—she felt more relieved than bereaved. Ever since then she, her mother, and brother led a peaceful life. They could invite friends over. They finally felt safe with the disappearance of their father.

But she still sometimes had dreams about him. Her bleeding mother being beaten with a golf club (even though they were poor, this was the one expensive item in their home). Her brother being beaten with an ashtray, nearly losing his sight. And...herself, suffering cigarette burns, paralyzed with fear (her mother who tried to intervene would then be beaten again).

Maybe all of that was related, maybe not. In any case, Yuko was absolutely convinced Shuya Nanahara was dangerous.

"Right?" She heard Haruka say that emphatically, but her words didn't register. A chill ran through her body, accompanied by a vision. Everyone including herself, the six of them lying on the floor, their skulls cracked open, and Shuya Nanahara grinning with an axe in his hand...

No, no. It's going to be over. Shuya Nanahara won't be around for long.

"Yes." She looked up and nodded. In fact, she had no idea what Haruka was talking about. But in any case as long as Shuya couldn't recover there was no reason to throw the team off balance. Haruka seemed to be seeking some indication she was convinced.

"Y-yes. It was just me. I was so tired too."

This seemed to put Haruka at ease. She said, "Shuya's a good guy. They're aren't too many around like him."

Yuko looked at Haruka as if she were a mummy exhibited in a museum. She had thought so too, until recently. Shuya seemed strange, but all in all there was something very likable about him. In fact, she'd even thought he was kind of cool.

But any memory of this feeling had completely fallen by the wayside now. Maybe it was more accurate to say the cracked-skull scene had smothered out all her other memories.

What? What are you saying, Haruka? That he's good? What are you talking about?

Haruka looked into Yuko's eyes dubiously, but added, "So even if he gets up, don't provoke him, okay?"

Yuko was horrified. There was no way he was going to wake up. If...if that ever happened...

But a portion of her rational faculties were still intact enough for her to nod and say, "I'm fine. No problem."

"Good. I feel much better."

Haruka nodded back, turned towards Chisato without getting up, and said, "Smells good."

Along with the steam, the smell of the stew came drifting from the stove pot.

Chisato turned her head around and said in her quiet, thin voice, "Yes, it looks pretty good. It might be better than yesterday's soup."

She had been crying over Shinji Mimura for a long time, but she seemed all right for the time being. Even Yuko could see that.

Right then, the door to the hall opened up. It was Yukie Utsumi. As usual she maintained her perfect posture and walked forward confidently. After Yuko's arrival, Yukie still did a good job leading the group, but she seemed a little tired. Ever since they took in Shuya she looked even more distressed. (It was in fact because she was on the one hand happy to see Shuya, but on the other worried his wounds might prove to be fatal, but this was beyond the scope of Yuko's perception.) Yuko felt like it'd been a while since she last saw Yukie so energetic, but now her face was beaming.

Yuko felt as if a caterpillar was crawling up her spine. She had a bad feeling about this.

Yukie stopped, put her hands on her waists, and looked around at everyone. Then she comically cupped her hands against her mouth in the shape of a megaphone.

Then she said, "Shuya Nanahara has arisen."

Haruka and Chisato cried out with joy while Satomi got up from her sofa, but next to her...

...Yuko turned pale.

14 students remaining

61

"Really? Can he speak?" Haruka asked.

"Uh huh. He says he's hungry too." Yukie nodded and then looked over at Yuko and said, "It's all right. I locked the door to his room so you wouldn't have to worry."

She wasn't being sarcastic. It sounded more like she was doing what she should do as the leader.

But that wasn't the point, Yuko thought. No, actually she had considered it over and over last night. While she was certain he would never recover, what if he did? Then how would she deal with it? And...then the odor drifted by.

What timing. They were about to eat. Besides...it wouldn't be that odd for a guy in critical condition to die suddenly, would it?