ゲーム

CHANNEL 1 - EPISODE 1:

Red, everything around you was stained red.

Frantically, you wiped your hands on your shirt, then your pants, but it wouldn't stop. It was flowing from somewhere in the dimly lit room, onto the tiled floor and underneath the soles of your shoes.

Warm, wet and slick—it was almost impossible to get rid of. It was evidence, evidence that something terrible had happened.

You started to run. You didn't know where you were going, but you had to get away. You couldn't let anyone catch you.

You were innocent, right?

The door at the end of the room would not open; then again, it was hard to turn the knob with such slick hands.

You wiped your hands against the door, your shirt, your pants.

Red, everything you touched was stained red.

“Bzzt...bzzt...”

You whipped around, scared, eyes searching the room for the source of the sound.

“Bzzt...bzzt...”

It was a vibrating noise. You recognized it as soon as the far end of the room lit up. You’d left your cell phone there.

Hurrying back along the slippery floor, you grabbed the phone and turned back.

The door was no longer there.

The floors, the walls—everything was staining red.

“Dammit!”

You were running out of time. There had to be some way to escape.

Hopelessly, you flipped your phone open. The sound of static flooded the room. It was painful, deafening. Covering your ear with one hand, you squinted into the screen's blinding light.

There was a message waiting for you:

>WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?
         [YES]  [NO]

---

You gasped, starting from your nightmare with a cold sweat. It was good to be awake.

Around you, everything was lit by an unnatural glare. Static buzzed softly from somewhere in the corner of the room.

You turned to see a familiar screen, lit with the colored bars of some channel test.

“You really should learn to turn yourself off,” you muttered to the TV on the dresser.

It didn't reply, but continued to hum gently.

You groaned and rolled out of bed. After hitting the “power” button a few times, the ancient television set finally relented and went dark.

Flopping back onto your mattress, you sighed. It was the last day of summer vacation, and you were already up early because of some stupid dream.

You pulled the sheets over your head, hoping that you’d be able to get some more rest.

Before you could close your eyes, you heard the sound of your door sliding back.

“Wake up. You’re late for school.”

A monotonous voice reached you under the covers before they were thrown back, revealing your little sister’s annoyed face.

“Wha-wha?" You looked at her, genuinely astonished.

Aika gave a long sigh before walking over to your closet.

“Geez, my older brother really is pathetic. It’s the first day of the new term, and he’s acting like it’s still summer.”

“B-but…”

Aika gave you a withering look and pointed to the well-ironed school uniform hanging near your bed.

You swore under your breath. It was definitely a bad start.

Aika shook her head one last time and turned to leave.

“Breakfast is on the table. If you’re fast you’ll have a few minutes to eat it.”

Her footsteps echoed down the stairwell as you hurried to get everything ready.

---

A few minutes later, you were downstairs and dressed, trying your best to inhale your breakfast without choking.

“Well, I’m off. Hope you make it to school.” A certain little sister’s voice echoed from the entrance.

“Wai…I’ll walk with…ou!” You yelled between muffled mouthfuls of rice.

“Fine, just hurry up.” Aika responded.

That was a promising sign. At least she hadn't rejected you completely.

You gulped down the last of your soup and followed your sister outside.

---

Walking to school was less than exciting. Every time you tried to make light conversation, you were bluntly rejected.

“So, um, Aika-chan, that breakfast you made was pretty good.” You tried to compliment her.

“If you had woken up on time, you might have been able to enjoy it.”

So harsh…

“You didn't have any trouble with your summer homework did you?” You asked, trying not to let it get to you.

“Even if I did, would you have helped me?”

Man, she was blunt.

You tried one last time.

“Hey, I know mom and dad are away on business, but…”

Aika stopped and looked at you. This was your chance to say something a cool older brother would say.

“The Junior High’s this way,” she looked at her watch, “School starts in ten minutes; you’ll have to run if you want to be on time.”

Dammit! There was no way to talk to your little sister!

---

The bell rang as you approached the classroom. Your teacher was already standing at the door.

“You’re late, Anon.” He spoke sternly. “You usually have good attendance, so I’ll let you off with a warning, but don’t let this become a sign of your performance during the second term.”

Ashamed by your late arrival, you hurried into homeroom and slid into your seat, the back row near the window. At least you had a good view.

As your teacher began to lecture the class about the new term, you felt someone beside you touch your shoulder. It was Akiyama Kisuke, your childhood friend. He seemed a little stressed.

“Dude, I’m so glad you showed up. Tell me you did the English assignment, please!”

Kisuke was a good guy, but if anyone in the class was more unlucky than you, it was him. He had a bad habit of not doing his homework, then turning to you to save him. It was a miracle he’d passed finals last year.

“I’m not sure,” you responded cautiously. “Summer assignments are a pretty big deal. We could get in a lot of trouble if you copied my essay.”

“Not the essay...” He shook his head. “Hana-chan already helped me with that; I just need the worksheets.”

He probably meant his girlfriend, academic-ace Moto Hana, had practically written the essay for him. Well, letting him copy a worksheet or two wasn't that bad.

You slid your English notebook over to Kisuke, who began happily transcribing the answers into his own.

“Thanks, bro.” He smiled at you before turning back to his work.

“You-you shouldn't do that!” A shrill whisper came from the seat in front of you. It belonged to class-coward, Takahashi Daichi.

While he certainly wasn't the top student, Takahashi couldn't stand it when someone broke the rules. Fortunately for you, he wouldn't snitch even if he caught someone in the act.

You felt kind of sorry for the kid, though. Rumor had it that he was bullied a lot in middle school, which was why he was afraid of making enemies.

Kisuke shot Takahashi a quick glare, and he instantly spun back around. Not bad Kisuke, not bad at all.

Your teacher droned on, until something wonderful happened.

“…and, before we begin, Class 2B's representative, Yamada-san, has a few reminders for all of you.”

There it was—your chance to see the class rep again. She was the only reason Class 2B wasn't entirely boring.

Yamada stood up, adjusted her glasses and walked to the front of the class.

“Ahem, this second term is an important one, I would like to remind all students that…”

Tall and slender, graceful and sophisticated, Yamada Minako lived up to her name as the heiress to an enormous banking corporation. What she was doing in your high school was unimportant, you were just glad she was in the room.

Despite her “cool beauty” appearance, she could easily become anyone’s friend—a fact that made her fairly popular among the first and second year students. It was also the reason she ran unopposed for the title of class rep. Nobody could say “no” to someone like Yamada-san.

Nobody was sure where it started, but rumor had it that she received at least three love notes every day. Even a teacher had asked her out one afternoon, or so you’d been told.

You looked took another look at her.

With her deep brown eyes, perfect build and that warm smile, she’d make anyone weak at the knees.

Yeah, you didn't doubt those rumors. She was probably the most likable girl in school—everyone’s dream girl, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

“…and that’s why we must strive to do our best in these coming weeks. Thank you.”

Everyone clapped as Yamada sat back down. You’d missed most of her speech, but it had probably been very inspirational.

Kisuke nudged you with an elbow.

“Yamada-san's really something isn't she?”

“Uh-huh.” You tried to feign disinterest.

“She’s got a nice body too, huh?

You turned away, face reddening.

Had he seen you staring?

“Shut up.” You mumbled, only confirming Kisuke's suspicions.

Your childhood friend just laughed.

“C'mon, dude. If you like her, why don’t you ask her out?”

Across the room, the teacher started up once more, denying your friend an answer.

“Everyone please take out your English books and turn to page 137. Akiyama-san, will you begin reading?”

---

The rest of the day was largely uneventful.

You spent the day turning in summer homework and starting new assignment. It was business as usual, absolutely boring.

At lunch, Kisuke left to find his girlfriend, and you were stuck eating alone. Even Yamada-san left to go somewhere else, and it wasn't like you to follow her. You weren't that desperate.

Only after the last class of the day had ended did something interesting happen.

Outside Class 2B, your senior, Kohara Rin, was waiting for you.

“Oh, Kohara-senpai. What are you doing here?” You asked, a little suspicious.

“Bam.” Kohara added the sound effect as she pretended to land a “karate chop” on your head.

Unfortunately, she was a head shorter than you, so it didn't have the intended effect. In fact, it was completely adorable.

You stifled a giggle.

“Don’t laugh.” She tried her best to look serious. “I've told you a thousand times—just call me Rin-senpai or, better yet, Rin-chan! You’re way too formal!”

For a senior, she sure didn't act like it.

Rin was the president of the school’s manga club. She was short, fiery and had a passion for anything otaku liked. You weren't really into it, but she was nice enough, and you went sometimes. School rules had required you to sign up for at least one extra-curricular anyway.

“So, what’s up, Rin-senpai?” You asked.

“Well, I was hoping you’d come to club today, seeing that it’s everyone’s first day back. Pleeaase, for me?”

She blinked expectantly, trying her best to look cute.

For a moment, you considered a better world. A world where you could spend the afternoon romancing Kisuke's girlfriend instead of going to club.

But reality was harsh and, if you were honest with yourself, you knew that world was never going to happen.

“Fine…” You relented. “I’ll go.”

“Yay!” Rin cheered, a goofy grin lighting her face.

You followed her upstairs to the unused Class 3F, the site of the manga club room.

Class 3F had originally been a classroom-turned-library, or something like that, but it had slowly fallen into disuse after the high school began accepting less students. All the books had been relocated downstairs, but the shelves had remained.

Over the years, graduating classes had left their favorite manga behind for the other students in an odd mixture of friendship and tradition. Eventually a club was formed to allow students to freely come and read manga after school.

At least, that’s the way Rin-senpai told it.

Inside, three people were already waiting. You recognized Kisuke near the window, grinning like an idiot, but there were two fresh faces—an intimidating guy with a hoodie over his uniform and a rather quiet, mousy looking girl.

The guy in the hoodie was obviously some kind of delinquent. His dark hair was partially dyed blond and there were at least three studs in his left ear. He only looked away from his girls’ love manga to glare at you, before returning to it with a devilish grin. His shoes indicated he was a first year, but he certainly looked older than you.

The new girl looked very uneasy. She shuffled under your gaze and refused to make eye contact. Her hair looked pretty disheveled and her uniform was wrinkled in odd places. Despite being in your grade, you had never seen her before now.

Was she one of those kids who was bullied into truancy? You couldn't tell.

Rin looked at you expectantly.

“Well, go ahead, introduce yourself.”

Suddenly, you remembered why you didn't recognize the new additions. It was the first time you’d gone to manga club since sign ups last term. It was a miracle Rin still considered you a member.

You stared blankly at everyone.

“Well, if you’re not going to do it…” Rin gave a slight huff. “Everyone, this is Anon. He’s been a member since last year, but lately he’s been preoccupied with his other club—the “go home” club.”

Ouch, that hurt. You knew you deserved it, though.

Everyone laughed a little. They seemed nice enough; even the hoodie guy had cracked a smile.

Maybe you should go to club more often.

---

You left school feeling alright. The first day back hadn't been entirely dreadful; you were just tired.

It was almost 6:30. You wondered if Aika was making dinner already.

“Bzzt…bzzt…bzzt…” Your phone vibrated.

After flipping it open, you nearly dropped it. Collecting yourself, you began feeling an oddly heavy sensation in the pit of your stomach.

“This…can’t be real.” You breathed.

>WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?
         [YES]  [NO]

This had to be some kind of joke—a coincidence or something. Yeah, there was a thread about this online, wasn't there?

Just a joke.

---

“Anything exciting happen at school today?”

“Nothing as exciting as watching you run for your life.”

After dinner, you found yourself trying to ask Aika about her day, only to be met with more blunt replies.

“Well, my little sister should learn to wake me up on time.”

“Or my pathetic brother could just set his alarm clock…”

It was no use. Aika was the same as always. You were getting nowhere.

“So-um…”

The text message was still on your mind. You had just had to find out if she knew anything.

“Has there been a strange text message going around lately or something?”

“Hm?” Her eyes widened. She was genuinely curious.

“Well…” You tried to play it casual. “I heard a couple of girls talking about some weird text that asked you to play a game. I thought it might be a new trend or something—like those horror flash animations.”

Aika shrugged and returned to the dishes.

“Beats me.”

You gave a defeated sigh, and headed up to your room.

Lying on your bed, you looked at the message again. There was no listed sender, nothing. No clues where the thing had come from, but it was there—waiting in your inbox.

If you wanted to find out more, you were out of options.

“It can’t be helped.” You shrugged off any doubts you had about the invite and pressed “YES.”

Nothing happened. After a few minutes, you flipped the phone shut and put it on your side table.

It figures; it was just a joke.

“Bzzt…bzzt…bzzt.”

You lunged for your phone again. It was still vibrating as new information appeared:

>ALL PLAYERS HAVE ACCEPTED! PLEASE ABIDE BY THE RULES IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS A FUN, EXCITING EXPERIENCE.

You scrolled down, but it was fruitless.

>RULES:
>1. ???
>2. ???
>3. ???

The list continued all the way to seven, but none of the rules were listed—they were just labeled with question marks.

You kept scrolling until you reached the eighth rule. It sent a chill down your spine.

>8. FAILURE TO ABIDE BY ANY OF THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN SWIFT PUNISHMENT.

Before you could do anything else, even think, a message box appeared on-screen. Bold red letters scrolled across the top.

>YOU HAVE 1 QUESTION REMAINING.

EPISODE 2


“Beep...beep...beep”

“Ringingninginging”

“Ugh...” You groaned, blindly slapping the surface of your side table.

“Beep.”

There. You had finally managed hit your blaring alarm clock.

Still in a daze, you rolled over only to be blinded by the early morning light that streamed from your open window. There was only one person responsible for this.

“Aika!” You roared. “It’s only 6:30!”

The door you were yelling at remained silent.

What was your little sister thinking? Was it payback for waking up late on your first day of school?

Whatever.

Slowly, you got up and headed downstairs. There was a note waiting for you on the kitchen table:

>Left early to walk a friend to school, but breakfast should still be warm. Check the rice cooker and the dining table. We’re out of fish, so your box lunch just has rice and fried egg today. I’ll be home late. Have to go to the convenience store.

She left early to walk a friend to school? That didn’t sound like her.

You dismissed the thought, and checked the back of the note:

>You wanted your little sister to wake you up, right? Try to be on time today.

Gah, even in her notes, Aika managed to be blunt.

You ate your breakfast in silence. It was delicious.

---

Before you knew it, an hour had passed and you were dressed and ready to head to school.

Suddenly, you recalled the events of last night. You rushed upstairs, nearly flattening neighborhood stray, Sakamoto, in your hurry.

“Whoops! How’d you get in?” You scooped up the orange and white cat and carried him up with you.

“Meow.” Sakamoto stretched lazily in your arms.

You set him on the windowsill of your open window, scanning your room while he made his way back onto the roof.

“Where is it?”

At last, you found it. Your cell phone was charging on your desk at the far end of your room. It wasn’t hard to miss, but you had been searching near your bed because that’s where it had been last night.

Last night. It seemed so far away now; like everything had been a dream.

Unfortunately, a quick flip revealed the same messenger with the same bold red lettering:

>You have 1 question remaining.

That’s right. You were involved in some kind of game now. A game with rules that you didn’t know, except for the eighth one—which just stated that you’d be punished if you broke the other seven.

A mass of questions swirled around in your head.

What was the game? How many players did it have? Who was responsible for something like this? What did the eighth rule mean “punishment”? How could you win the game? Could you win the game?

“Argh.” You shut them out. This could wait until later. It was probably for the best, anyway.

You checked your phone for new messages. There was one; you’d received it about thirteen minutes ago. Was it more instructions from the game?

It was an e-mail from an address you didn't recognize:

>I asked someone for your e-mail, sorry. Could you meet me outside the convenience store before school?

You checked your phone’s clock. It was 7:45.

School started in 45 minutes, and the convenience store was about 10 minutes away, but in the opposite direction. That meant it would take you about 25 minutes to get to school from there.

You’d be cutting it pretty close for a stranger who might not be there anymore.

You flipped your phone shut.

“Better to be early than to risk running late for a stranger.” You reassured yourself.

After yesterday, you couldn’t let your teacher or your sister down. Besides, it would probably give Aika more ammunition for insults if you showed up late two days in a row.

You sighed as you gathered your notebooks and school bag. Time to go.

---

Halfway to school, you passed the Junior High.

“Good morning, Anon-kun!” You heard someone yell from across the street.

You spun around to see your childhood friend’s girlfriend waving at you.

“Eh? Morning Hana-chan. Where’s Kisuke?”

It was kind of funny seeing her without him. Lately, those two had been inseparable.

“Oh, uh, he left his English notebook at home and ran back to get it.” She smiled apologetically. “Ki-kun told me what you did for him yesterday. Thank you for looking after him when I’m not there.”

“Um, what are you thanking me for exactly?” You scratched the back of your head.

For a moment, Hana looked surprised.

“For letting him copy your English assignment, of course.”

“Oh, yeah…that.” You mused. “It really wasn’t a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

Hana just looked at you then brushed a short lock of brown hair out of her face.

“You really shouldn’t be so modest, Anon. Friends like you are hard to come by.”

“Thanks?” You shrugged.

It was something anyone would do; you didn’t know why she was making such a big deal of it.

She blushed and looked down.

“I-If you need help talking to Yamada-san, I’d be more than happy to help give you advice…”

So that’s what this was all about. You’d get Kisuke for this later.

“I-I’m not sure what you mean, Hana-chan.” You said, backing away slowly.

You didn’t need relationship advice. You needed to get away before this got even more awkward.

“But…but, didn’t you? Y-you don’t think she’s…wait! Where are you going?”

By now, you were sprinting as fast as you possibly could. Damn that Kisuke; he’d probably told the whole school!

---

“Ding dong”

The lunch bell rang, letting you know it was time to eat your fried-egg box lunch.

The day hadn’t been that eventful.

Other than some sidelong glances from a few girls in the hallway and some glares from your male classmates, things preceded normally, but it was obvious that news of your crush on Yamada-san, however unfounded they may have been, had spread quickly.

For some reason, it didn’t bother you much—the fuss people made about who liked whom.

You stared at the empty desk in front of you.

Had Takahashi been absent today? You hadn’t really noticed before, but he wasn’t there. Just when you were getting used to him begging for a bite from your noodle sandwich or the best piece in your box lunch—

“Um, Anon-san…would you like to have lunch with me?”

You turned to see Yamada-san next to your desk. Your heart skipped a beat. The incredible class rep was talking to you.

It only took you a second to weigh your options. Yamada-san might have been everyone else’s dream girl, insanely wealthy, and likeable…but was she the one for you? There was, uh… Rin-senpai? Someone else, perhaps?

Never mind that. Lunch. Did you want to eat lunch with Yamada-san?

“S-sure.” You accept.

It’s not like you had any better plans for lunch.

“Great!” Yamada-san smiled then looked at the crowded classroom. “Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private?”

---

A cool wind blew on top of the sun-warmed roof of the senior high school. It made for the perfect late-summer atmosphere.

You had no idea what you were doing up there, eating lunch with Class 2B’s renowned beauty, Yamada Minako.


Her box lunch, lined with 3 kinds of expensive fish, mixed vegetables and firm white rice put your simple one to shame. There wasn’t even one meat in yours.

“Would you like one?” Yamada had obviously seen your envious gaze.

“No thanks.” You said, still wary.

Why had she brought you here?

Yamada smiled at you for the umpteenth time then began moving some of her fish into your container.

“Anon-san, I know we never talk…” she nervously adjusted her glasses, “but there’s something I have to ask you—”

“Ba-dump”

“I tried sending you an e-mail earlier, but I don’t think it went through…”

“Ba-dump...ba-dump”

You weren’t sure why, but your heart was racing. What was this feeling in your chest?

“I’ve never done something like this before, and I’m not sure I know how to say this—“

“Ba-dump…ba-dump…ba-dump”

“I want to join the manga club!”

Wait? What!?

The look on your face must have said it all.

“I know it’s a club you can visit whenever you want, but I’d like someone to become a member and contribute to the club activities—th-that is, if you’d still let me join this late.”

You sighed and shook your head. Yamada, the princess of class 2B, was afraid of joining the manga club late.

“Even if it’s the second term, I’m sure Rin-senpai won’t mind.”

“That’s great! Thank you, Anon-san!” Yamada embraced you with all her might. For a banking princess, she was quite strong.

“Um, no problem.” You tried not to let go of your lunch. “Club meetings are on Monday and Thursday, but the club room’s open every day because our advisor works late.”

Yamada closed her lunch gave you another smile.

“Let’s get back to class.” She said, heading for the door.

“Why?” You asked, looking at the expensive fish you still hadn’t eaten.

“Ding dong”

Dammit!

---

After school, you decided to go tell your senior about Yamada-san’s request.

As you were about to head up the third floor stairwell, you saw the mousy-looking girl from the previous day’s club meet.

Her school uniform was neat, but today her hair looked unusually messy. Was she really a second year student?

She glanced around suspiciously before making a beeline for the A/V room. You peered around the corner to see more, but—

“Bam!”

You collided head-on with a large stack of papers, sending them flying everywhere.

“Watch where you’re going!” A low voice growled.

A dark-haired second year was bent over picking up the fallen sheets. You tried to help him, only to be chastised.

“Stop it! You’re only making things worse. Carry on with whatever you were doing.”

“Um…” You felt bad leaving the guy to do all the work himself.

“Now!” He said indignantly.

You hurried upstairs. Whatever mousy hair had been doing, she was long gone now.

---


“Yamada Minako-san? You mean of the Yamadas? The Yamada Banking Association’s heiress asked you?”

Rin was asking a million questions at once. You hadn’t seen her this excited since you asked her what Comiket was.

“Yes, yes…and yes. Is it really that exciting?” You asked.

“Of course it is. Do you know what kind of prestige our club will reach if we have a girl like her as a member? We’d go down in high school history!”

Rin tried, and failed, to contain a squeal of excitement.

“Well, I’m out.” You heard the delinquent kid stand up.

The door shut behind him, leaving you and Rin to yourselves.

“Think of the manga she could contribute! She could bring in so many members that we’d need bigger shelves!”

Rin couldn’t stop talking. It was good to see her this passionate again. You recall that she’d fallen into a slump earlier in the year after membership declined.

Several first and second years had left manga club in order to pursue sport, like kendo and baseball, more seriously. Their intentions were innocent enough, but Rin had taken it personally.

“Bzzt…bzzt…”

“Bzzt…bzzt…”

You pulled out your phone to see why you it was vibrating so much. It was a new update from the game:

>Attention, players! As of this morning, one rule has been broken. Players are advised not to repeat this mistake. Because of this, Rule 1 has been made available for review. Please learn from others’ mistakes in order to make this a fun, exciting experience for everyone.

You scrolled down. Where the question marks used to be now stood the first rule:

>1. All players’ attendance at school is compulsory. This includes after school activities.

The room was quiet. Your senior wasn’t babbling about Yamada-san anymore. Instead, she was checking her phone as well, a worried look on her face.

“Ba-dump…ba-dump…”

What was this feeling? It was different from before. The heavy sensation in your stomach was back, and you were growing anxious.

Was Rin-senpai—no that wasn’t possible. Was it?

Her guard was still down. If there was a chance, now was most certainly it.

"Rin-senpai..."

Her head jerked towards you in surprise. Her brown eyes looked liked a scared rabbit's.

"...you wouldn't happen to be a pla—"

"Ahahaha." Rin tittered nervously as she got up. "I'm so sorry, Anon-kun, but I have to get going."

She moved quickly, shelving a stray volume of manga on her way out.

"Senpai, I'm serious. Are you part of th—"
Rin's footsteps disappeared down the stairwell. She was running.

"Wait up!" You yelled, sprinting after her. "Rin-chan!"

It was no use; she was getting away.

"Gyah!"

You gave it your all, pushing with every ounce of fiber in your being.

Down the hallway and past the shoe lockers you sped; your senior's footsteps were just within earshot.

At last, the school doors slammed shut behind you. Rin was at the gate, hands on her knees.

"Rin-senpai, we need to talk!"

She didn't run. Her tiny chest was heaving, gasping for breath.

"A-Anon-kun!" Rin cried, looking up.

Tears were streaming from bleary eyes, down past flushed cheeks. She was sobbing, choking almost.

"I did it!" Your senior buried her face in your chest. "I-I'm responsible for that player getting punished!"

---

"Hina-chan volunteered to come back today." Aika casually announced over a bowl of curry udon.

"Really..." You mumbled absently.

You were still thinking about the incident at school, and the fact the fact that Rin was holding herself responsible for it.

After confronting your senior, you had taken her to the train station and she had explained mostly everything.

She had received her invitation to join the game a little under a week ago, but hadn't received confirmation until last night—around the same time you had. Prior to that, she had thought the message was some sort of virus.
Unlike you, however, Rin had known the identity of another player, Takahashi Daichi—your classmate and leader of the computer club.
She had gone to him for assistance after receiving what she had believed, at the time, to be just a virus, only to find that he had received the invitation as well.

One thing Rin hadn't elaborated on was Takahashi's disappearance. Before getting on her train she had promised to tell you tomorrow, but you couldn't help but wonder...

What was your senior even capable of? Could you trust her?

"Are you even listening?" Your sister looked annoyed.

"I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"

Aika sighed.

"You could try to listen to your little sister sometimes."

She finished eating her curry and got up to do the dishes.

"I was telling you that Hina-chan came back to school today."

"Really!?" You were genuinely surprised this time.

Kikuchi Hina had been your sister's best friend until the start of Junior High, at which point her absences started to increase immensely.

Despite spending more days at home than school, Hina had made fairly decent marks on most of her tests, and had passed the first two years' finals with excellent marks.

Last term, however, had been different. Hina's school refusal had reached it's apex, and she stopped going altogether. Something serious must have happened for her to change her mind now.

"Yes. I walked her to school this morning." There was a touch of relief in Aika's monotone voice.

Even though your sister would never acknowledge it, you knew she was glad that her childhood friend had voluntarily returned to Junior High.

"Bzzt...bzzt..."

A familiar round of vibrations interrupted your thoughts.

You quickly grabbed your phone, excused yourself and headed up to your room.

The game had contacted you yet again. There was a horrifyingly pleasant tone to the new message:

>CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYERS! WITH THE DEATH OF PLAYER 17, TUTORIAL MODE HAS BEEN COMPLETED. STARTING NEXT WEEK, YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR FIRST TARGETS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING PARTICIPATION IN THIS FUN, EXCITING EXPERIENCE.

EPISODE 3

"Bip."

Your alarm clock made a small noise, letting you know that another hour had passed.

12:00...12:01. It was just after midnight and you were still lying awake, thinking about the message.

You couldn't sleep. It wasn't possible—not with another player dead.

It had been four hours since you were notified of Player 17's death. Four hours since everything had stopped making sense.

Try as you might, you just couldn't put it all together; you just had parts—small pieces of something that was, quite possibly, bigger than anything you could imagine.

What could possibly drive someone to create a game where players murdered each other?

For what felt like the millionth time, you went over what you knew:

You were part of a game with eight rules—six of which were total mysteries. You only knew the first rule, which forced you to go to school and the eighth rule, which threatened to punish you if you broke the others.

Punish. What did that even mean?

In addition to the rules, the game also had a question system which worked as long as you had free question. It sounded self-explanatory, but you were still waiting on your answer.

And, finally, you knew the game hadn't even begun.

It wouldn't begin until next week, when you each received "targets", whatever that meant...

The message hadn't said it, but it didn't have to. You were sure that someone had killed that player. You even more sure that it would happen again.

You yawned. That wasn't right.

"Stupid!" You pounded your fist against the mattress. "This is all...so...damn...stu...pid."

Despite your attempts to fight away sleep, your fist wasn't pounding very hard.

Your vision blurred as you stifled another yawn. The world was slowly growing dark around you.

"Not now..."

"Bip"

It was 1:00.

---

A chill woke you, but your eyes struggled to open.

You yawned, then rolled over.

Why was everything so cold?

"Fwoosh."

Your ears perked up. Your heart beat faster. Your eyes flew open.

You weren't home. You were at school.

Although the moon was the only thing lighting the second floor hallway, you still recognized Class 2B at the far end.

"What—What am I doing here?" You wondered aloud.

"...skritch."

There wasn't time to wonder. Springing to your feet, you slid open the closest classroom door and ran inside.

You weren't alone.

A slow tapping sound was coming from down the hall. It was the sound of footsteps.

Looking around the classroom, there wasn't much; however, it had two entrances—which meant two exits.

Whoever was coming, you could escape them.

"..."

The footsteps had quieted.

"SLAM!"

Your heart leaped of your chest.

"SLAM!"

The footsteps were back.

You headed for the entrance farther away from the noise, ready to make your escape.

"SLAM...SLAM!"

The sounds were getting closer.

It was becoming clearer to you now, what was going on. Whoever was coming was sliding open the other classroom doors. They didn't know where you were...yet.

"SLAM!"

"..."

You waited for the second slam, but nothing came.

"..."

Nothing. Should you run?

You didn't give it a second thought.

Sliding open the classroom door, you sprinted as fast as you possibly could. You needed to reach the stairwell ASAP!

"Thud. Thud. Thud."

Heavy footsteps came from behind you.

You were speeding down the stairs, almost tripping over your own feet. It was just so dark.

The ground floor was withing sight. You were going to make it.

"Wah-ah!" You yelled, but it didn't stop you from slipping.

There was an unpleasant sound as your head met the solid would floor.

"Thud. Thud. Thud."

"D-dammit!" You choked. The footsteps, they were getting closer.

You tried pushing yourself upright, but pain lanced through your skull. There was a burning sensation behind your eyes.

There wasn't time for this!

You grit your teeth and got up, ignoring the red smear on the floor beneath you.

"Thud."

The footsteps were right behind you.

"Thud."

Turning the corner, you caught a glimpse of your pursuer. He was huge—a full head taller than you at least!

"Thud."

He was on top of you, pinning you against shoe locker. The entrance was right there...just out of reach.

His face was visible now. It was that delinquent from the manga club, a wicked grin on his rude face.

You tried to push him off of you, but you couldn't fight anymore—you were exhausted.

Another round of pain arced around your brain. Something warm flowing down your cheek.

"I've got you now." The first year smirked, reaching into his pocket.

"Scritch."

Moonlight glimmered off the boxcutter in his right hand.

He wrenched you up by one wrist.

"It's over now."

---

You screamed, writhing around in your bed.

"You're very loud today."

From the doorway, your little sister was giving you a look.

"Wha-wha?"

"I said..." Aika walked over to your alarm clock. "Breakfast is getting cold."

She fiddled with the buttons for a second.

"Beep"

"There." She sighed. "You need to start setting this yourself."

A dream...you'd been having a dream.

"It's 7:10." Aika reminded you before heading downstairs.

Still disoriented, you reached for your cell phone.

There were two messages—both from the game.

The first one read:

>ATTENTION, PLAYERS! ALL APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED; HOWEVER, CERTAIN PLAYERS ARE BEING ADVISED NOT TO ABUSE THE QUESTION SYSTEM. THE RULES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO REFLECT THEIR BEHAVIOR.

What!?

You scrolled up. The eighth rule had become the ninth. Where it had been was a lengthy new rule:

>8. PLAYERS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM ASKING QUESTIONS THAT YIELD:

MULTIPLE ANSWERS

THE IDENTITIES OF TWO OR MORE PLAYERS

THE LOCATION OF ANY PLAYER

TWO OR MORE RULES

ANY OTHER OVERWHELMING ADVANTAGE

The hell? Could the game just rewrite itself like that?

You took a look at your other message. It was in the message box:

>YOUR QUESTION <What are rules 1-7?> WAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING REASON(S):
>[ATTEMPTS TO DISCERN 2 OR MORE PLAYER IDENTITIES]
>[ATTEMPTS TO GENERATE OVERWHELMING ADVANTAGE]
>YOU HAVE 1 QUESTION REMAINING

You shook your head in disbelief. This was beyond unfair.

"Whatever..." Your phone flipped shut.

The least you could do was enjoy breakfast before the game got to that too.

---

After doing your best to get dressed—and forget about the game's disappointing new—you headed downstairs.

"Aika-chaan!" You yelled. "Have you seen my...tie?"

You nearly choked on the last word.

At the dining table, a girl with short, white hair was stuffing as much rice as she possibly could into her mouth.

"Mhmph...hmph...mmm...oh, g-good morning Anon-san." Kikuchi Hina looked very nervous as you just stood there, gawking.

"I invited Hina-chan over for breakfast." Aika stated flatly.

"I can see that." You said, regaining some composure.

"Th-thank you for letting her d-do this." Hina stuttered.

She still acted shy around you? That hadn't changed.

"So your hair's white now?" You tested the waters.

"Uh-huh." She didn't even look up.

Yep. She was the same old Hina.

"Nothing...I just thought it looked cute." This was it. The coup de grace.

Hina squeaked and blushed. She looked like she was about to faint.

"E-excuse me. B-bathroom!" Hina got up and made a dash for the hallway.

Your sister shot you a death glare.

"Don't do that."

"Relax." You sat down and started eating. "I just wanted to see what was so different about her."

"Your leading her on." Aika actually sounded angry.

"I thought she might be over it. It sounded like something big made her come back to school."

Ever since you started middle school, Kikuchi Hina had been coming over to visit your sister—although it was more like your sister had dragged her over. Needless to say, Hina had developed an unhealthy crush on you over that time, and it clearly wasn't over.

"When she gets back. We're going to school." Aika didn't look pleased with you.

She rose and started clearing the table.

What had gotten into her?

"I'm b-back." Hina nervously announced from the hall entrance.

"Let's go." Your sister grabbed Hina's hand and pulled her to the entrance area.

The white haired girl gave one last glance in your direction.

"Bye, Anon-nii." You received a faint smile before Hina was dragged outside.

The door closed behind them and you were left alone with the remains of your breakfast.

Suddenly, the door swung open again.

"Hurry up." Aika sounded even more annoyed, if possible. "One of your classmates is waiting for you."

---

You hurried outside to see Rin waiting for you at the gate.

"Good morning, Anon-kun!" She waved excitedly. "I thought I'd come early, so we could talk."

She looked at her open flip phone. Her voice dropped.

"Did the game answer your question?"

Just when you were starting to forget.

"Actually..." You laughed nervously. "I'm one of the players who tried to 'abuse the question system'..."

Rin gave a small laugh.

"It's fine. It's only natural to ask questions like that."

You looked at her for a minute, a little puzzled.

"What did you ask, then, senpai?"

Rin shook her head furiously.

"Oh no, I didn't ask it anything." Her eyes had a serious look. "We don't know what these questions might be worth later on."

Well, when she put it that way, it made sense.

"But if you want..." Rin sounded hesitant. "I could share my question with you."

You were stunned. That was a big sacrifice, especially from someone who had just told you the questions were valuable.

"I-I wouldn't ask for anything in return—just that you team up with me!"

EPISODE 4

Taken aback by Rin's propisition, you weighed your options.

"I'll team up with you."

Rin's eyes widened.

"You really mean it?"

"Of course I do." You reassured her.

Your senior seemed to relax, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was possible that she'd been worrying about it all night.

Rin's voice was still soft, barely audible.

"It makes me feel a lot better knowing I won't be going at this alone. Thanks, Anon."

You didn't quite know what to do, so you gave her a pat on the head.

"Good girl."

"Aaanooon! Don't treat me like you'd treat a pet!" She squealed and tried to bat away the offending hand.

Yep. Even when angry, she was adorable.

---

"Then Daichi-kun told me his plan to take the day off to study his cell phone. He said he needed a lot of time to mess with it because of tricky code, or something."

While the two of you walked to school, Rin tried her best to tell you what she hadn't been able to the night before.

"Uh-huh. Then what?"

"I-I agreed of course; it sounded like a good idea at the time. I told him I'd go to school and act like everything was still normal, but we'd both be on the lookout for other players."

You were beginning to understand. Because the first rule hadn't been revealed yet, Takahashi and Rin had assumed that having two lookouts would make it easier to find another player. They couldn't possibly have known that all of the game's players were school children.

"If only I'd been the one at home, then Daichi-kun wouldn't have been punished." Rin looked disheartened.

"Don't say that; there was no way you could have known." You reassured her.

"I know, but..."

One thing still bothered you.

"Senpai" You tried to be delicate. "Takahashi-kun, is he—"

"Dead?" Rin shook her head. "No, no, no. He's very much alive. It's just—hmm?"

You held out an arm, stopping your senior in mid-thought.

There was a flickering of light in one of the side streets.

"Dammit! Work already!"

The gruff voice belonged to a silhouette, crouching near in the shadows near a crosswalk.

"Screw it!"

Frustrated, the figure rose and accidentally came into view.

You instantly recognized him as someone from school—it was that first year delinquent.

"L-Let's walk around him, senpai." You turned, ready for a speedy getaway.

The previous night's dream was still fresh in your memory.

Much to your surprise, Rin didn't budge.

Instead, she started waving at him.

"Good morning!"

"Um, now doesn't seem like a good time..." You added nervously.

Rin gave a lighthearted chuckle.

"C'mon, Anon-kun, he's not scary. It's just Eiji-kun!"

You took another look at the mountain of a first year that was approaching the two of you.

He was holding a pack of cigarettes in his left hand—one was still dangling between his index and pointer finger. His school bag was nowhere in sight, but you could see a lighter in the hand that was running through his half-dyed hair.

He sneered when he caught you looking, but softened when Rin smiled at him again.

"Eiji-kun!" Rin grabbed the pack of cigarettes. "What are these?"

The delinquent avoided eye contact.

"I was just gonna have a smoke before school." He shrugged.

"We've talked about this." Your tiny senior scolded him. "You can be a rebel after school; if the teachers catch you smelling like smoke, it's all over!"

"Whatever..."

"How did you even get these?"

He grew especially nervous with that question.

"Dadsidcar..."

"What was that?" Rin still seemed angry.

"D-dad's ID card."

"You used your dad's ID card!? What do you think he'd do if he found out his son was stealing from him?"

"I dunno." Eiji shrugged. "I didn't think about—"

"Exactly! You weren't thinking!"

You'd never seen Rin like this before. It was actually quite amazing; there must have been a 30 centimeter difference between them, but she wasn't intimidated at all.

"Sorry, Rin-senpai." The delinquent gave a deep bow. "It won't happen again!"

"That's better." Your senior clapped her hands.

She noticed you standing there, slack-jawed.

"Oh, you two haven't been properly introduced, have you? Eiji-kun, this is my kouhai—your senior, Anon-kun."

The delinquent, if you could still call him that, bowed politely.

"Nice to meet you, senpai!"

You were beginning to like him just a bit more.

"Anon-kun, this is Sato Eiji—Police Chief Sato's son."

What!? This guy was the son of a policeman?

"You don't look like a policeman's son."

"'Course I don't, you ignorant punk!" Sato-kun yelled. "I'm the real deal, unlike my old man!"

"Eiji-kun!" Rin warned.

You were still confused.

"You're the police chief?"

The first year turned around and started walking.

"Idiot...can't believe you're friends with a guy like this, senpai."

Now that you'd seen his other side, you stepped forward—ready to stand up for yourself.

You felt a hand on your arm.

"Let him go, Anon-kun." Rin sighed. "Eiji's a good guy at heart, although he doesn't always act like it."

You looked at her. She seemed very sincere.

"His sense of justice is different from his dad's. It's the reason they're constantly fighting; it's also why he's always out doing rebellious things."

"So, he's not a delinquent?" You clarified.

"Far from it..." Rin smiled. "Even if we had avoided him, he wouldn't have smoked those cigarettes—it just isn't in his nature."

You were starting to get it.

Eiji's half-blond, half-black head rounded the bend near the school's gate.

He...was definitely one weird kid.

"Oh, one more thing!"

Rin shook you out of your reverie.

"About Daichi-kun, he'll be back at school today."

"That's great." You replied.

Your senior looked a little uneasy.

"Just watch out, ok? Now that he knows you're a player, he's—"

---

It was less than a minute until lunch and your teacher was still droning on.

"Pssst." Kisuke tapped your desk. "You feel like having lunch with me and—"

The bell rang and an excited Takahashi Daichi almost orbited his seat.

"Have lunch with me, Anon-kun!"

He grabbed the sides of your desk; his hands were literally shaking in anticipation.

You gave Kisuke a pleading look.

"Fine." He grimaced, sharing your pain for a moment, then started walking away. "Have fun..."

Daichi looked ecstatic. He was already unloading his massive box lunch onto your table.

"Let me tell you everything I found out yesterday!"

You put a finger to your lips, signalling him to stop yelling. He was so...loud.

"Oh, ok." He spoke in a more hushed tone. "I'll start with these."

He rolled up his sleeves.

"Clack."

The lid of your lunch box clattered to the floor.

Luckily, your remaining classmates were on the other side of the room. They, couldn't see the fat, multi-colored bruises that covered Takahashi-kun's left arm.

"D-did it hurt?" You wondered aloud, surprised that Daichi wasn't flinching.

"Hurt like hell, man." He looked over his shoulder. "The worst part is, I wasn't even conscious for it."

"Wouldn't that be ideal?"

"No!" Takahashi blurted out, then caught himself. "Sure, I broke the rules, but I didn't beat myself up, you know? I at least wanted the chance to see who punishes us!"

It made sense. Knowing who was responsible for enforcing the ninth rule could be helpful.

"I was on my way to the convenience store to buy some magazines when they jumped me."

You raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon, dude. I might have committed to stay home and track down players, but I still have needs, you feel me?"

Actually, you didn't. You were beginning to feel that Takahashi was partly responsible for his own capture.

"The swimsuit issue just came out last week , and..."

Another look at you, and he caught himself.

"Anyways, I blacked out. When I woke up, I was at my house with these!"

He waved his arm at you again.

"They're all over the left side of my body!"

"You didn't see whoever grabbed you?"

"Nooo, weren't you listening!? They must've attacked me from behind!"

Daichi was working himself up too much. You couldn't exactly blame him, but you tried to stay calm.

"Were you able to find out anything about the game?"

"Yeah..."

For a moment, he looked incredibly serious.

"The dead player—number 14—goes, er, went to our school."

---

"Late last night, after discovering that the game was an advanced application capable of constantly its IP, I decided to use my question to learn the identity of the missing player."

Daichi was finishing his speech in the manga club. You and Rin listened intently.

"He was a first year who went here. His name was Hibari Shou. The game practically gave me a copy of his identification papers as an answer."

He pointed at his phone. "This thing is beyond amazing!"

Rin spoke up.

"Daichi-kun, what does this have to do with finding his killer?"

Your classmate didn't miss a beat.

"Get this, school records have him down as transferring last term—to some school back in his hometown. Whoever it is, they're trying to cover up the fact he even attended school this week."

"But, his friends would obviously remember him. What about his parents?" You interjected.

"I know, right?" Daichi scoffed like he'd already thought this far ahead.

Maybe he had.

"His parents live back in his hometown; he was living here with his grandfather, but other than that, it's not much of a cover up, something a student desperate to cover his or her tracks would do."

Takahashi spun around.

"...which leads me to believe that the murderer is..."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"Someone on the student council!"

You didn't know whether to laugh or to be mildly impressed.

Some of Takahashi's detective work seemed spot-on but, aside from the fact that school documents had been tampered with, there wasn't much evidence pointing to the student council.

There wasn't much evidence at all.

"Instead of trying to find a killer, shouldn't we work on finding all of the other players first?" You asked. "We can work backwards from there."

"That's all good in theory..." Your classmate huffed. "But the fact remains that there's a killer among us and, if you won't rely on my ideas, we'll have to use a question!

"We can't!" You shouted.

You looked helplessly at Rin.

"I'm sorry, Anon-kun." She looked upset. "At the moment, we're all in danger."

"We don't know that!" You tried your best to calm your friends down.

"Unless you can offer up names of possible players, we're going to have to use that question..." Daichi said resignedly.

How had you even arrived at this situation. Takahashi was creating a false dilemma, and Rin was falling for it!

Your back was against the wall. You either needed to provide them with another hint in order to buy time, or you'd be forced to use a question.

What do you tell them?

You gulped.

The silence in Class 3F was deafening.

Rin and Daichi were staring at you intently, expectancy written their anxious faces.

This was too much pressure. They had to leave you a moment to think.

"Be right back. Bathroom!" You announced awkwardly, watching their expressions fall.

As you slid the door shut, you couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. The tension in the room was way too high.

"You guys finally done?"

The sound of Sato Eiji's voice made you jump. You had almost forgotten he'd been waiting outside.

"No, not yet. I'm just going to get some air."

"Alright..." He turned back to his copy of 'Purest Love: Girls Can't Like Girls!'

You continued down the hall, walking past the bathrooms. Eventually, you stopped at a large window next to the stairwell.

Bathed in the orange glow of afternoon light, the campus almost seemed serene. A couple of first year girls were still running the track, while the boys' swim team finished their last laps around the pool. You could see someone restocking the vending machine as one of the younger teachers walked by, eager to get home. On the other side of the gym, the kendo club was already dismissing.

"All these people share the same campus, but most of them don't really know each other."

It was a strange thing to think, but, when you considered it, there was a lot of truth behind it.

How many of the first or third years did you know? The teachers?

You sighed.

Not a lot...

Sure you all occupied the same space, but you barely knew the people you talked to on a daily basis.

Did one of them really have the capacity to kill?

Looking through the window again, you became wrapped in thought.

"How many of you are players?" You wondered absently.

The more you thought about it, the easier it became to suspect someone.

You remembered Yamada Minako, the class rep. She was beautiful and full of charm, but she certainly didn't have a good reason to talk to you, someone she'd hardly made eye contact with before this week.

Why was she so interested in joining the manga club all of a sudden?

It was possible that she was just embarrassed about ruining her reputation, but you were beginning to think she may have had ulterior motives.

The first rule had required students to be present for school and an after school activity.

As far as you knew, Yamada didn't have one...aside from student council.

Ugh...it didn't add up!

Then there was Kikuchi Hina, your sister's childhood friend—the one with the strange crush on you.

So far, the three players whose identities you knew were all senior high school students, but the game had never specified the age of or grade of its participants.

She had abruptly returned to junior high the day after the game had begun. From what you had seen, there was little to no evidence showing that she'd had a sudden change of heart either.

If she wasn't a player, her reappearance was a huge coincidence.

Ok, that made two relatively good leads. They were far from airtight, but they would do.

Finally ready to confront your peers, you headed back to the club's room.

"What are you getting at? Are you really trying to blame Anon-kun now?"

"I'm just trying to cover all of the possibilities!"

You could hear Rin and Daichi arguing from down the hall.

What had happened while you were gone?

Walking past the bathrooms, you noticed Eiji had moved down and had relocated next to the boys' room door. He was holding a hand over one ear, squinting as he perused the last pages of his questionable manga.

"Oi." He shut the volume and looked up at you. "Just what the hell's going on in there?"

There was genuine concern seeping past his normally hard face.

"P-probably a misunderstanding about their favorite genre." You tried to avoid a serious answer.

"Seriously?" Eiji didn't seem convinced. "That's the truth?"

"Ok, I'll be honest with you." You lied. "I may have accidentally ruined the last four volumes of 'Heartbeat~ Girls' Paradise' when no one was looking.

"What did ya say, punk?" Eiji looked ready to throw some punches.

Yikes...compared to that reaction, he'd seemed gentle this morning.

"I-I know, it was totally stupid." You apologized.

Grabbing you firmly by the shoulder, he pulled you in close.

"Then you better tell them that."

He pointed at the Class 3F's door.

You could still hear Rin and Daichi yelling.

"Go on!" He pushed you towards the club room.

---

"..."

"..."

The arguing stopped as soon as the door slid open.

"Where have you been?" Daichi eyed you suspiciously.

You decided honesty was the best course.

"I just needed some room to think, sorry."

"See. I told you!" Rin pointed an accusing finger at Takahashi. "You can trust Anon-kun, he's a good guy."

You decided not to ask and motioned for both parties to be quiet; however, you still gave Rin a grateful smile.

At least not all of Daichi's theories had gotten to her.

"Ehem." You coughed. "I think I know two people who might be players."

"Might!?" Daichi looked disgusted.

You kept talking.

"It's possible my one my sister's friend is a part of this. Up until now, she's been avoiding school, but two days ago, she started going back on her own."

"Yes, and...?"

"You might not know her, but she's smart—really smart. Smart enough to skip school for nearly two years straight and still be in the top of her class. If she's coming to school full-time, something big has to be responsible for it."

Takahashi still looked skeptical.

"So, what's your other lead?"

You gulped. Sorry, Yamada-san.

"I'd suggest placing our new member, Yamada Minako, under suspicion as well. Isn't it odd that she asked to join our club the day after the game began? She could have joined any time, why now?"

"That's great..." Daichi whined. "Could, should, think, and might. What makes you so sure this has anything to do with the game?"

That feeling was back. You wanted to laugh, long and hard, but you couldn't.

The situation was ridiculous. What would it take to convince him!?

You continued, unabashed.

"Well, Takahashi-kun, taking rule number one into consideration, the facts—"

"Facts? What facts?" The computer club's leader leapt to his feet, stabbing the air with his finger.

"Daichi-kun, stop it!" Rin was also up.

"C-can I fin—"

"You're ruining this investigation!"

"Daichi!"

"No! He's unwillingness to cooperate is destroying—"

"SHUT UP!" A deep voice roared from the entryway.

The door still rattled on its track as Sato Eiji entered the room.

"If you're trying to keep this 'game' a secret, you guys royally suck at it."

"And you!" He glared at Takahashi. "Are by far the worst!"

"B-but..." Daichi stuttered.

"No, buts!" Eiji lifted his hoodie from the back of a chair. "I've been waiting out there long enough, time for answers!"

He folded his arms defiantly.

---

In the end, after some of Daichi's protests were silenced, you were the one elected to explain everything to the Police Chief Sato's not-so-delinquent son.

You did, of course, and he didn't like it.

Unfortunately, by the time you were done, it was too late to come to do anything else, and the meeting dismissed with no real conclusion.

The time was 6:45 and you were hurrying home.

"Oi, wait up!" You cringed as Eiji caught you at the school gate.

There was an awkward silence as he began walking home with you.

"Umm..." He spoke up, nearly two blocks later.

You stopped and looked at him.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then surprised you by bowing suddenly.

"Forgive me for my behavior this morning, s-senpai!"

"It's fine..." You shrugged.

"No it's not!" He sounded upset. "That lie you told..."

Oh yeah, the one about the girls' love.

"...you're really looking out for Rin-senpai!"

You looked at him, still puzzled.

"You're the kind of man who'd take the blame to keep his friends' secrets safe—a real man!"

"Thanks?"

It looked like Takahashi's nose was going to connect with his knees.

"Apology accepted." You added hurriedly.

You were relieved to see Eiji return to a normal, upright position.

"From now on, I'll try my best to look out for you two."

What!?

Eiji clenched his fists.

"I'll have to. That Takahashi kid has no respect for a girl like Rin-dono..."

You were beginning to wonder exactly how Rin had won all this respect from someone who pretended to be a delinquent.

"..."

"Senpai..."

There was a serious look in Eiji's eyes.

"This 'game' you guys are playing—it sounds dangerous and misleading. From what you've told me, it sounds like this is only the tip of the iceberg..."

"Well, we still have until next week to investigate it more..."

"I know." He looked away. "If I were you, though, I'd stick with Rin-senpai—just Rin-senpai—and I wouldn't trust anyone else."

He jerked his thumb at himself.

"Not even an outsider like me..."

Did you detect sadness in his voice?

"Well, I gotta get home!"

He clapped his hands together and started walking in the opposite direction.

"See ya, senpai!"

Sato Eiji—what a mysterious guy.

---

Turning off your desk lamp, you didn't bother putting your homework in your school bag.

"I'll get it tomorrow." You yawned.

You were exhausted. It felt like it had been the longest, most confusing day of your life.

Limply, your tired body flopped onto the bed.

Eiji's words still lingered in the back of your mind, hanging there like dead weight.

"I wouldn't trust anyone else. Not even an outsider like me..."

Had you done the right thing, getting someone who wasn't a player involved with the game?

The thoughts spun around aimlessly in your brain.

Oh well, it wasn't like you'd had much of a say in the matter. You were forced to do it.

Finally, the days events began to blur and slip away into oblivion.

You'd think about it again...tomorrow.

Episode 5

No new messages.

You checked your inbox...again.

No new messages.

If it was possible, your phone would have been frustrated with you.

The game had promised to contact you again next week, but it seemed to good to be true.

No way it could be that easy—there had to be a catch!

Even so, 24 hours had passed and there was still nothing. That didn't keep you from checking your phone every half hour.

"You've been coming home late." Aika observed, placing a bowl of rice next to you.

"Thanks."

You picked up the bowl and started to eat.

"You're also checking your phone a lot."

"Club stuff." You answered between mouthfuls.

Aika raised an eyebrow.

"You go to club now?"

She was asking questions. It made sense, but they had come sooner than expected.

Luckily, you were prepared.

"We've got new members. Rin-senpai asked me to come back to help."

It wasn't a complete lie, but it was still a lie.

For a moment, you wondered why you were doing it. It would be so easy to tell her the truth. Then, you remembered.

Someone had died.

More people might die.

You just couldn't bring yourself to involve your little sister in the game, no matter how much you wanted to.

Too many people were already involved—at least 17, 18 if you counted Sato-kun.

One outsider was more than enough.

"Oh..."

Aika looked into her miso soup, contemplating what you had said.

"I thought it might have been a girl."

"!?"

You choked on your rice.

"Am I right?

Your sister pushed your tea closer, then eyed you expectantly.

While gulping down the tea, you tried to think of a good response.

"I only have eyes for you, Aika-chan."

"Don't say stupid things."

Aika's sharp gaze pierced the air separating the two of you.

You couldn't hold back a shudder.

She was mad.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's your business..."

She started clearing her side of the table.

"...just don't say stupid things like that."

You spent the rest of breakfast eating in silence.

---

"You alright, bro?"

Kisuke looked concerned as you sat down next to him.

"Yeah just fine. Why do you ask?"

Your childhood friend frowned.

"First it's lunch with the class rep, then you're hanging out with Yamada...

He put a hand to his chin and feigned being deep in thought.

"...I even hear you've been going to the manga clubroom all week."

"Yeah, so what?"

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"U-um..."

Kisuke laughed.

"Haha! I'm just messing with you, dude. Lighten up."

You couldn't help but laugh with him. For a moment there, you had been a little worried.

"But seriously..."

He looked at you sternly.

"How did lunch with Yamada go? Is she really as sweet as they say?"

It was your turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Need I remind you that you have a girlfriend?"

"C'mon, bro. A man can still ask questions, can't he?"

Kisuke rocked back and forth in his chair, a fat grin on his face.

"How was it? Forbidden love atop the school roof? Lots of blushing and lunch sharing? A little of this and tha—"

"She wanted to join the manga club."

The smile had been wiped off your friend's face.

"Bummer. Well, you know what they say..."

"What do they say?"

"You reap what you sow!"

"I don't think that's...never mind."

Everyone turned as the teacher entered the room.

"All rise, bow..."

---

Lunch came and went.

Aside from Yamada asking you to accompany her to the clubroom after classes, nothing interesting happened.

Your day was turning out to be surprisingly average. Not that you minded, of course.

Homework, teachers, order. It was nice to have those after the chaos of the last 3 days.

It was almost as if it had been a bad dream.

You shook yourself out of it.

Lowering your guard was a luxury you didn't have.

Somewhere on your phone there was a messenger with the power to answer important questions, a list of rules you still didn't know, and a reminder that everything that had transpired was a tutorial.

A tutorial—just a foretaste of things to come.

You felt powerless knowing that, until next week, all you could do was watch and wait.

Rin and Daichi—they must feel the same way, right?

You had only seen Daichi so far; it wasn't unusual, considering he sat in front of you, but after yesterday, he was refusing to talk.

It was strange, you thought—he'd seemed so eager before, so unlike his usual self.

Now, he just avoided your gaze, pretending you didn't exist.

Anything you said or did in class was met with a decisive "hmph" from his direction.

You considered apologizing, but it didn't seem like he was ready to hear anything from you just yet.

Ugh, how frustrating...

---

"Ding dong"

Classes were finally over, and students were slowly pouring out of Class 2B.

Soon, only you and Yamada were left.

"Strange." She said wistfully. "Where did they go?"

"Something wrong, Yamada-san?" You asked.

"It's nothing." She smiled. "I was thinking about the students..."

"Hm?"

"The students I knew in junior high—the same ones I knew from middle school. Where did they go?"

You'd never heard Yamada say something so mysterious. Then again, it wasn't like you'd known her since middle school.

Should you say something.

You shrugged.

"People change...huh?

She seemed to mull over what you'd said.

"That's right. They leave without actually leaving."

What a perplexing thing to say...

"Well, Anon-san, let's go see if one of those students still remembers me."

---

You weren't sure why Yamada had asked you to accompany her; she was taking the lead and doing a very good job of finding Class 3F on her own.

"As expected of someone on the student council."

"Did you say something, Anon-san?"

"N-no, nothing."

Before long, both of you were standing outside the manga clubroom, ready to enter.

There would be no meetings or game discussion with the other members here. Today would be a "normal" meeting.

Yamada was checking her phone.

You tried not to be too curious, but you couldn't resist the urge to take a quick glance.

Her black flip phone was really sleek, probably the newest model something-or-other. The more you looked at it, the more you wondered if it was even on the market yet.

Despite the phone's business-like outside, the screen's background was decidedly more feminine. Light pink bubbles floated past white text.

No new messages.

"You like it?"

The class rep's voice interrupted your thoughts.

Yikes, you'd been caught.

"Here."

She handed you the phone.

"Take a look."

"U-um..."

You glanced nervously at the bubbly pink screen, ashamed that you'd been spying on her.

"This is actually a prototype, in case you were wondering."

Yamada placed her hand on yours, guiding you through the menus.

"Ba-dump..."

Now wasn't the time for this.

"The new OS looks really different, don't you think?"

"Yep..."

"Ba-dump......ba-dump"

Her hand was so soft...nngh, no!

"People have already told my father that it'll change the market."

"Ba-dump...ba-dump...ba-dump..."

"If you want to see a game, there's one over—"

"Anon-kun, what are you doing!?" A shrill voice screeched.

Your heart skipped a beat as the door swung open.

Daichi was standing there, pointing at Yamada's hand on yours.

"Such conduct...is unacceptable!"

"Ah, Takahashi-san." Yamada didn't seem fazed at all.

"I was just showing Anon-san my new phone. If you're interested—"

"Hmph."

He pushed his way past the two of you.
"I have business to attend to. The computer club needs me."

You were sure the computer club didn't need him to be so rude.

Looking through the open doorway, you saw four pairs of eyes on you and Yamada-san.

You blinked.

Kisuke, Rin, and Eiji blinked back.

A nervous sniff come from the direction of the mousy girl, who had apparently been busy shelving some volumes in the back corner.

"There you are, ahaha..." Rin tittered nervously, trying to break the ice. "I take it this is Yamada Minako-san."

"Pleasure to meet you, senpai." Yamada bowed gracefully.

"Ahaha..." Rin blushed. "P-please...feel free to call me Rin-chan!"

It seemed like Tuesday's excitement hadn't quite worn off.

---

The next hour was quite possibly one of the most awkward hours of your entire life.

Whenever no one was looking, Kisuke raised his eyebrows questioningly at you, then winked as if giving you his blessing.

'Geez. Whatever had actually happened in the hall, he'd probably seen it as something much worse.

Rin, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off of Yamada.

To your senior, the class rep was some kind of rare specimen—a princess of sorts she only got to see in manga, not real life.
It was kind of funny to see her act that way.

Eiji and the mousy girl just minded their own business, but every now and then, you were sure you saw Sato-kun glance in Yamada's direction.

He was probably keeping an eye on her since you'd told him your suspicions yesterday.

Despite all that, it wasn't so much the club's actions that made everything so awkward as it was the silence.

Silence. It hung in the air the whole time.

It reminded you that the peaceful school day you'd had was just a façade—an imitation of your former life.

Danger, suspicion, bewilderment. You'd be feeling all of these things again soon; you just knew it.

It couldn't be helped. Every second that passed was a second closer to next week—closer to the beginning of the game.

Yamada might not be a player—you were almost certain after seeing her phone—but there were others out there, and not all of them would be interested in a peaceful resolution to this game.

Between 16 people, that outcome was inevitable. There was always someone who didn't want to play it safe...

---

"Kyaah." Kisuke stretched loudly on the way home.

He hadn't said anything yet, but you knew he was getting ready to ask something outrageous.

"Man, if I were you..."

And he's off!

"I'd totally ask her out!"

"Again..." you sighed. "You have a girlfriend."

He pretended to sound hurt.

"I'm talking hypothetically here! Are you suggesting that I'm unfaithful?"

The act didn't last long and, soon enough, his trademark goofy grin was back.

"Besides, any girl who gives you a free pass to look at her phone number and e-mail is a keeper!"

"She wasn't—"

"I'd normally expect a princess like her to be reserved, but that was quite bold—just my, er, your perfect type."

Kisuke didn't look like he was going to listen to reason.

You let him talk about Yamada until you had to part ways.

---

That night, you went to bed early.

"No use in worrying too much about it." You yawned, almost believing yourself.

It was hard to tell which was worse: the onslaught of eery messages sent by the game, or their sudden absence—the long quiet spell in between.

You thought about your friends, your suspicions and your fears,

Would everything turn out alright?

You squeezed your eyes shut.

It would only be a matter of time until you found out.

EPISODE 6

You woke with a start.

Around you, the world was dim and quiet.

"Looks like I beat you!" You taunted your alarm clock.

It merely blinked, letting you know another minute had passed.

7:01.

It was pretty early.

"I'm getting too used to this." You sighed, rolling out of bed.

You were surprised to find the hallway still dark, the kitchen still empty, and the rest of house still very much asleep.

Aika had finally done it. She'd made a fatal mistake.

Stifling a chuckle, you wandered over to her room.

Sliding back the door, you caught a glimpse of your sister. She was still fast asleep under the covers, blissfully unaware of what was about to take place.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

You rapped your knuckles loudly against the door frame.

"Ugh..."

Your little sister groaned and looked at you with two bleary brown eyes.

"What?"

"Ahaha!" The room filled with your triumphant laughter. "Today's the day, Aika-chan. You've finally slipped up!"

"Idiot..."

She rolled around, turning her back to you.

"What's this? Admitting defeat already?"

You couldn't help yourself. The chance to show up your sister didn't come often.

"Get out."

"Hmmm?"

You continued teasing her.

"As your older brother, it's my responsibility to make sure you get to school on time."

"Just get out."

"It's ok, sister of mine. Everyone makes mistakes."

Slowly, your sister rolled back around. Her sharp glare sent a shiver down your spine.

"..."

You felt your heart sink into your stomach. She didn't do that unless you did something completely idiotic.

"It's Saturday."

Her words stabbed into your head.

"Let. Me. Sleep."

Dammit!

---


Backing in your room, it felt like your furniture was judging you.

The lamp, the television, the sunlit window—everything was glaring at you.

"Pathetic..." You flopped backwards onto your mattress, still burning with shame and anger.

Aika had succeeded in making you feel stupid again, and you had succeeded in ruining a perfect Saturday morning.

Saturday...

The first week back sure had flown by.

Desperately, you tried to remember what had happened the day before. There was only one way to describe it.

"Uneventful..."

Yeah, your Friday had been pretty boring. Normal morning, normal afternoon, normal evening. The game hadn't provided any new information, you still didn't have any new leads, and the after school get-together with your fellow players had been cut short by Yamada's surprising return.

She'd apparently been interested enough to come back—you couldn't imagine why. Thursday's meeting had been incredibly awkward.

"Nothing happened yesterday." You sighed.

It wasn't exactly true, though. Something good had happened despite the Friday's incredible banality.

You flipped your phone open and scrolled to the 'Contacts' page.

There it was—Yamada Minako's e-mail. Your heart beat a little bit faster just seeing it.

In a brilliant turn of events, Yamada had decided that it was important for everyone to exchange contact information, something Rin had never even considered.

Well, it wasn't the strictest club, but you'd been more than happy to comply.

Now you had everyone in your contacts. Sato Eiji, Takahashi Daichi, Minako Yamada—they were all there.

Rin hadn't been completely helpless. She'd been able to give everyone Mori Amaya, the oddly quiet, messy-haired girl's, e-mail.

You didn't expect you were going to use that one, though.

"Bzzt...bzzt"

You froze, your body tense.

"Bzzt...bzzt"

It was too early for anyone to be up, right? There was only one thing it could be.

Checking the inbox, you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief.

New messages from Rin.

>I need to be in the shopping district today, Anon-kun. Can you please meet me there around noon?

>I really need to talk to you.

The messages sounded uncharacteristically serious for your senior, but there was no reason to believe she hadn't sent them.

How do you respond?

Remembering the last time you heeded a text like Rin's, you decided against going anywhere for the time being.

Besides, whatever your senior had to say, she could message it to you.

>Sorry Rin, I can't. Can you just tell me what you wanted to say?

You waited for a minute, but no reply came.

"I hope she's just busy..."

It would be pretty bad if Rin was mad at you—not that you'd ever seen your senior get mad.

"Whatever..."

You curled into a ball and tried to get some more sleep.

"Tap...tap..."

Something was tapping against your window.

"Meow."

You looked up to see Sakamoto idly pawing the glass.

"Fine..."

You opened the window and let the cat inside.

"There you go."

Sakamoto wandered around your room for a bit, then made his way downstairs.

Closing your eyes, you tried to fall asleep again, but to no avail.

"Ugh..." You groaned.

If you only you had slept in...

---

"Wake up."

Someone's small hands were pressing against your shoulders, pushing you into the mattress.

"Nooo..." You protested.

"Thunk!"

The next thing you knew, you were on the floor looking up at your little sister.

"Did you seriously pull me off the bed!?"

"It's ten o' clock and you wouldn't wake up." She retorted bluntly.

You rubbed the back of your head.

"It doesn't make that okay!"

Aika folded her arms.

"It's urgent."

"Wha?"

She looked you up and down, then ran to your closet and began rummaging through it.

"What are—"

You were interrupted by a shirt hitting your face.

"Wha—"

Then a pair of pants hit you.

Aika was still digging through your stuff.

What was she doing? You'd rarely seen your sister like this—actually, you'd never seen her act this way.

A belt and some socks landed on your bed as her excavation finally began to slow.

"There."

She admired her handiwork.

"Get dressed."

"W-why?"

You just looked at her, confused.

Aika turned to leave.

"Your girlfriend's waiting for you downstairs."

G-Girlfriend!?

---

After changing, you nervously headed downstairs, half-expecting someone you'd never seen before.

Unfortunately, you were well-acquainted with the person Aika was serving tea to downstairs.

"Rin?"

You had to say, your senior was tenacious.

"Ah, Anon-kun," She smiled. "So nice to see you."

Not sure whether to angry or surprised, you went with a casual response.

"How are you today, Rin-senpai?" You asked as if it was normal for your senior to show up on a Saturday morning.

"Ehehehe. I'm doing fine, thanks." Rin replied awkwardly.

You appeared to have caught her off guard.

Taking the opportunity, you sat down next to her and poured yourself a cup of tea.

As she returned from the kitchen, your sister shot you a withering look.

"You didn't tell me you had plans today."

"N-no, I don't—"

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Rin interrupted.

Aika smiled warmly at Rin.

"Oh, no. Anon-kun's looking forward to going out."

Your sister cut you off, then smiled again.

It was kind of unnerving, watching your sister smile warmly at someone like that—it felt really, really out of place.

"So, it's ok if I borrow him for the afternoon?" Rin asked cheerily.

"Of course it is."

What!?

What was making Aika act like this. Surely Rin hadn't actually pretended to be your girlfriend.

Right?

Your senior was already taking her last sip of tea.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Aika-chan. You sure seem to take good care of your brother; I'll be sure to look out for him today."

She couldn't be serious.

Aika was already clearing the table. She grabbed your tea before you could even finish.

"I-it's nothing. Enjoy your day out."

She looked away. You could almost swear she was blushing, but you couldn't get a good look. Rin was practically dragging you to the door.

"Thanks for everything. Bye bye!"

---

The noon day heat bore down on the two of you as you neared the shopping district.

"I'm really sorry, Anon-kun!" Rin apologized for the thousandth time.

"Don't worry about it." You reassured her...again.

You weren't actually sure how sorry she was, though, She had ignored your plea to be left alone.

"What we have to discuss, it's reeaally important." She reaffirmed what she had said in her earlier text.

The walk to the midtown shopping arcade continued in silence.

You looked around you. The streets weren't empty, but there was a definite lack of kids your age walking around.

It was probably due to the fact that the other nearby high school, Kisei Acadamy, was a private institution whose students still attended a half-day "Saturday school."

While it was without a doubt the more prestigious of the two high schools in the area, you were glad you only had to go to school five days a week.

"Hmmm...hm...hm...hmmm."

Surprised by the sound, you turned to see Rin humming something—probably a tune from some commercial, by the sound of it, but you couldn't be sure.

In her light blue blouse and skirt, she looked so happy...so normal.

A passerby wouldn't have picked her as the leader of something like the manga club—the way she acted, they'd have a hard time believing she was a third year.

"Hm?" Rin tilted her head questioningly at you.

"What's up?"

"Just thinking about you."

"Ding ding ding!" Your senior clapped her hands.

"!?"

You'd never seen such a goofy grin on her face.

"Hehe." Rin chuckled. "Someone's been taking dating advice from VNs."

"V-what?"

For a moment, she looked as surprised as you where.

"Visual novels, dummy! You seriously don't remember me ranting about stuff like 'Grail War: Exceedingly Complicated Fight?'

You shook your head.

"Well there are always these romance scenes..."

She continued walking, without looking back.

"...and you pick conversation choices from a selection."

"Yeah?"

"Usually there are stupid choices, reasonable choices, and super cliché choices."

"So, what are you supposed to do?"

"Picking the cheesy options like 'just thinking about you' usually nets you all of the girls."

"So you're saying I'd be able to get all the girls?" You teased.

"..."

"Senpai?"

"N-no!" She still didn't look back. "I'm trying to say that, you know..."

You waited for her to finish.

"...never mind." The reply came a while later.

The rest of the walk continued in silence.

---

"Here we are!"

Rin broke the long silence.

Finally catching up, you saw it—the Midorihara shopping arcade.

Sandwiched between a local department store and a consumer electronics building, it was a popular hangout for kids and adults alike. The rows of shops offered a variety of products, both practical and entertainment-wise, and there was always good, fresh food ready.

Just about everyone seemed to enjoy the atmosphere there—it was a little slice of everything the town had to offer.

"Let's go!"

Squeezing past parents and children, high schoolers and seniors, you followed Rin past a multitude of shops until you both stopped at a peculiarly small one.

You cringed when you realized it was a shop that sold used manga.

Rin was already perusing the shelves, but she looked up long enough to see your reaction.

"Cheer up, Anon-kun. I won't be long."

Despite her reassurance, a stack of volumes was already beginning to form on the floor next to her. They all seemed to be from the same series.

"Future Detective Ayano..." You read the title out loud.

"Genius high school detective Akatsubaki Ayano is forced into a life-or-death struggle as he battles to discover the identities of ten android assassins charged with preventing him from becoming the greatest sleuth ever known."

Rin read the description in a low, "manly" voice.

"Can Ayano trust anyone around him? Find out in this exciting mystery adventure!"

"Mystery...adventure?

"It's good." Rin nodded furiously. "It's just been running since forever, though."

"Discovering ten identities takes that long?"

"You don't understand. There's conflict and drama, angst and romance in between—serious business."

Picking up the sixth volume, you casually flipped through until you came to a rather shocking page.

A twin-tailed girl in a swimsuit was holding an elderly man at gunpoint. The caption read:

An unexpected turnabout. Will things go swimmingly for our hero?

"Serious business, huh?"

Rin snatched the volume from your grasp.

"Don't spoil yourself!"

She blushed.

"I-it makes sense in context...honest!"

"Spoil myself? You expect me to read this?"

Your senior folded her arms.

"I expect everyone to read it. We need to get our detective skills on par with Ayano's if we want to solve this case!"

---

A little while later, you found yourself biting into a nearly tasteless burger at the fast food joint across the street.

"Tell me again why we couldn't have yaki udon in the shopping center..."

"Because..."

Rin sat down across from you, placing her salad neatly next to your fries.

"...we need to be somewhere where we don't attract a lot of attention."

"A lot of attention, huh?"

You pointed at the booth's bench. Next to Rin, there were two bags filled to the brim with her detective manga.

"It's important, I promise!"

She clapped her hands together.

"Let's eat."

As you watched your senior dig in, you began to wonder why she even invited you. If the manga was really important, couldn't she have told you to buy it yourself.

You absently munched on your burger, waiting for Rin to say something.

When she finally finished her salad, she pulled a folded sheet of paper out of her pocket, glanced around nervously, and slid it over to you.

Upon opening it, it became clear what she was trying to do:

Research on the game-
It's a cell phone game, not a virus.
The are at least 16 players.
They're all students.
There are 8̶...9 rules.
Breaking rules gets you beat up.
We don't know all the rules.
Rules can change?
Targets?

Suspects:
Yamada Minako
Your sister's friend
At the very bottom, three words were scrawled out in shaky handwriting.

I'm sorry, Anon-kun.

You looked up at your senior.

Tears were forming in the corners of Rin's eyes.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have told Daichi-kun you were a player."

She started sobbing into a napkin.

"U-um..."

Rin sniffled and blew her nose into the napkin.

"You don't...hate me?"

"Of course not."

Even though you hadn't liked it, there had been merit to her reasoning.

Because of Daichi, you now knew the identity of the deceased player, Hibari Shou. You'd also inadvertently received help from Satou Eiji, the son of a police chief, because of him.

"Th-thanks..." Rin whispered as you slid the sheet of paper back to her.

"I know it's far from complete, but I thought it would be important to put everything we know about the game together somewhere."

It was a good idea. You'd probably want to make your own research list on your phone later.

"So, about this detective..."

You pointed at the manga, knowing it would cheer her up.

Rin's face lit up.

"You really want to know?"

"Really."

"Well, Ayano's got some really complicated cases to solve—murder cases."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"The way I figure it, if we can think like Ayano, we can find out who killed Hibari Shou."

She really liked this Ayano guy. Maybe it was worth a read.

"Also..." Your senior leaned in closer. "I think we could stop it from happening again...someone dying, I mean."

"You really think so?"

Rin fiddled nervously with the piece of paper, then focused her gaze on you.

"Anon-kun...I don't want to see anyone else die. I won't be part of a game where real people get hurt!

Looking at her face, you detected something different from before. A determined fire was burning in her eyes.

"Alright then. How can I help?"

Her confidence was making you feel like anything was possible.

She pushed both bags over to you.

"Read these over the weekend, and start keeping track of the things that happen around you! We'll reconvene Monday after club."

"Alright then." You nodded.

It was surprising how inspiring Rin could be when she took charge.

---

And so, you began your journey home with nearly 18 volumes of 'Future Detective Ayano' distributed across two plastic shopping bags.

It was going to be a long afternoon, that was for sure.

"I have to go pick up some stuff at the convenience store. See you on Monday, Anon-kun."

Your senior waved as the two of you parted ways.

The noon day sun beat down on the sidewalk, leaving you alone and miserable from the heat.

"Ugh..." You gave a frustrated sigh.

Nothing could make the suffering worthwhile.

"I totally thought he was kidding when he asked me that."

"I know, right? What a joke!"

"Heh, heh, heh."

Idle chatter and light, airy laughter made you turn to look down the street.

A small cluster of high school girls was making its way past the convenience store.

You instantly recognized the shorter skirts and deep crimson accents of Kisei Academy's girls' uniform.

Maybe your suffering had been worth it.

"Hey, who's that?"

"I don't know. Probably someone from Sakura."

"Sakura High? No way. He's not wearing a uniform."

"Hey, is that—oi, Anon-kun!"

You recognized the last voice right before its owner collided with your back.

"Ooomf."

The bags nearly slipped from your grasp. Two slender legs wrapped around your midsection.

"Onward, my valiant steed!"

An arm shot past your head, pointing down the street.

"Get off. You're...too heavy." You groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Seriously." You tried to shake the surprise attacker from your back, but to no avail.

Eventually, after nearly falling to your knees, you were relieved of your burden.

Your rider stepped into view.

"Sorry, 'bout that. Didn't know you'd gotten this soft, Anon-kun!"

It was none other than Akiyama Karin, Kisuke's little sister.

"You're kidding me, right? You weigh a ton."

"Oh, you!"

Karin waved off the insult like it was nothing. Instead, she headed for one of the bags you were carrying.

"Need help?"

"Sure."

You handed her the heavier one. She wouldn't mind.

For as long as you'd known Kisuke, you'd also known his rambunctious little sister, Karin. She had been your childhood friend's plus one—wherever he'd gone, so had she.

Lately though, things had changed. Since your second year in high school, Karin had decided to follow her own path, enrolling in the town's most prestigious Kisei Academy instead of becoming a first year at your high school.

If there was one thing that hadn't changed about your best friend's sister, it was her demanding, outgoing personality.

"Future Detective Ayano..." Karin mused as she picked through the bag you had given her.

"I didn't know you were into this stuff, Anon."

"You're awfully informal, Karin." You retorted.

"So, that's a yes?" She didn't miss a beat.

"Actually, a friend asked me to read it."

"Friend?" Karin giggled. "Or did you mean to say friend?"

She suggestively raised her eyebrows.

"Kisuke never talks about Rin-senpai?"

You weren't going to allow her the pleasure of speculating about your love life.

"Oh...her." Karin's expression fell. "I thought you were going for Yamada-san, the class rep?"

Just how many people had Kisuke told?

"Or maybe..." She leaned precariously close to you. "You're still going for me."

"!?"

"Sorry, Anon, but I'm ta-ken~"

"Chu~"

She blew a kiss at you.

"Who's the unlucky boy?"

Karin rolled her eyes.

"You wish you knew."

"Hmmm..." You stroked your chin with your free hand, then glanced back at Karin's friends.

They were walking behind you two, keeping their distance, but even from a few feet away, you were sure they were eavesdropping.

Pulling her close, you whispered into her ear.

"I'm sure they all want to know what happened on your tenth birthday."

"You wouldn't..."  Karin glared fiercely at you.

Casually, you raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, fine. I like the class rep too."

"How'd it happen?"

"He asked me out this morning."

"And?"

"What else?" She blushed. "I said yes."

"And?" You grinned.

"Dumbass!" Karin shoved you away, but not very forcefully.

Laughing, you extended a hand towards her.

"What?" She looked at you, dumbfounded.

You pointed behind the her thinning crowd of friends.

"We've already passed my house."

"O-oh."

She handed you the bags.

"Thanks for walking me home, Karin."

"Whatever..."

Kisuke's sister pouted, then stuck out her tongue.

"Enjoy your comics, loser!"

---

Is this the end for the Future Detective?

You closed the fourth volume of Rin's manga.

"Apparently not." You yawned, looking at the other twelve stacked on your desk.

It was probably the weirdest thing you'd read in a long while.

None of the cases were especially difficult yet, and the villains seemed more bizarre than intriguing.

The 'android assassins' were all posing as school kids at the protagonist's high school so far, which defeated the purpose of suspecting most of the cast.

It worked in terms of the story and setting, but it made the murders way too obvious.

All in all, it was an ok story with decent yet utterly strange characters. You couldn't do anything but hope that it would get better.

Whatever. You'd get back to the manga tomorrow. It wasn't like you had anything to do.

As you lay down to go to sleep, the thought hit you.

"I don't have anything to do tomorrow..."

Was there someone you wanted to spend the day with?

EPISODE 7

8:52.

That was the time your body decided to wake up on Sunday morning.

"Better than yesterday..." You muttered, rubbing your tired eyes.

It's not like you weren't sorely lacking sleep, but you would have appreciated a chance to sleep in, especially after staying up late the previous night.

A glance at your desk revealed that you still had a lot of "work" to for Rin. It was a good thing the first week back hadn't left you with a mountain of homework as well.

Rolling over, you noticed your phone sitting in its usual spot.

Oh yeah, there was still that left to do.

Opening a tab in your 'Notes' application, you tried your best to create something similar to sheet of paper Rin had shown you.

Much like hers, yours wasn't nearly complete, but it didn't really matter. If something came to mind, you'd make sure to fill it in.

Before closing out of the tab, you labeled it 'Research'.

There. It now sounded much more professional than it actually was.

From this point onward, players may compile information they deem important in the 'Research' tab. Be sure to make good use of it whenever you can.

---

Before heading downstairs, you flipped through a couple of Future Detective Ayano: Volume 5's pages.
The next assassin is the cute but deadly little sister-type!

Unyaa! What are you going to do to me onii-chan?
"Probably should grab breakfast first."

It appeared the twin-tailed girl you'd seen in volume six showed up in this one. You weren't quite ready for that level of crazy yet.

Ambling downstairs, you found your own little sister busy setting the table. Steam was already ascending from the rice cooker next to her.
"You're up early," she remarked flatly.

"It happens sometimes."

"Not nearly enough."

Harsh...

But what else could you expect from Aika.

"Cut me some slack. It's a new school term."

"..."

"..."

That was odd.

No witty retort? No dry remark about you being a terrible older brother?

It felt so...wrong.

You remembered wanting to spend the day with Aika last night. If you were still going to do that, now was your chance—you could even try to do something cool older brothers did.

Say something cool!

"Hey Aika-chan, let me repay you for always taking care of me and let me treat you today. I'll take you out somewhere or do some stuff for you."

After reciting the coolest line you could possibly muster, you smiled warmly.

Aika seemed to soften a little.

Success! You'd never been this cool in your life.

Did you detect a little shock in her usually annoyed expression?

"Do some stuff...for me?"

She repeated the last line while pouring the morning's tea.

"..."

The room was quiet again.

You watched as your little sister retreated to the kitchen.

She soon returned, triumphantly, with thin piece of paper almost as long as your forearm.

"Can you do the first six?"

Looking at it, you saw that it contained a list of errands. Everything from making dinner to cleaning the bathrooms was on there.

"Wh-what's this?" You asked, recoiling from the list in horror.

"Shopping list, plus chores."

You looked at it again.

"I've never done most of these in my life."

"Exactly."

There was a brief but devilish gleam in your sister's eyes, almost as if she was waiting for you to back out.

You didn't like it one bit.

This was so not cool; however, a commitment was a commitment.

"Can you at least walk me through the shopping bit?" You pleaded.

"Sure."

"Huh?"

"I'll help you shop. I'll help you with the other five too."

That was unexpectedly kind.

"What's the catch?"

You eyed her suspiciously.

"Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"Can't an older brother volunteer to help his little sister?"

"..."

Once again, nothing.

Both of you began awkwardly eating breakfast.

After a while, Aika spoke.

"You never wanted to...help," she whispered into her rice.

Had you heard that correctly?

"Mhm?"

"Nothing."

Breakfast continued without another word.

---

"I need you to get me a leek about this big." Aika showed you with her hands.

"O-ok." You nodded.

Shopping at the supermarket was turn out to be pretty difficult, but your sister was a surprisingly adept at it.

"Now which one?" You wondered aloud, cradling one of the stalks in your hands.

Vegetables—they all looked the same.

"Here." Aika walked over and pointed at two.

"See this one. Squeeze the center a little."

Hesitantly, you squeezed the leek.

"It's very...limp." Was all you could come up with.

"Exactly." Aika nodded sagely. "Those are the ones you pass up."

"How about that one?" You pointed to the other leek.

"Try it."

"Gah! Is there supposed to be something in there?"

"That's a seed stalk; it means it's going to be tough if we try to cook it."

"I see..." You nodded. "So, you want one that doesn't have a seed stalk and isn't limp."

"Good. You're learning." Aika congratulated you, despite the very obvious deduction.

She eyed the leek you were holding.

"That one should be fine. Now let's look at the fish."

Shopping might not be so bad after all.

---

After a morning of learning the ins and outs of fish, leeks, and rice, both you and your sister left the supermarket with four heavy bags.

Across the street, you could hear a happy jingle coming from a small stand.

"Ice cream! Ice cream! De-licious ice cream!"

You felt your stomach growl.

"Oi, are you as hungry as I am?" You asked Aika.

"I'll make lunch when we get home."

"Mom! Mom!"

The smacking of sandals on the pavement made you turn.

A mother with two children in tow was exiting the supermarket behind you.

"Mom, can we get some?"

Both kids ran excitedly towards the ice cream stand.

"Hold on, mommy will be right there."

Ah, ice cream. You remembered when your parents had been in that mom's place—when you and Aika had been the ones begging for a sweet dessert on a hot summer's day.

"You ready to go?"

You looked at your sister. Her eyes lingered on the two kids, then stared longingly at the ice cream stand.

"Want some?" You asked.

Aika immediately ripped her gaze away.

"No. I'm not even hungry."

"You don't need to be hungry to enjoy ice cream."

"I said." She sounded annoyed. "I'm fine."

You weren't going to press the issue, but...

Buy ice cream for her anyway?

"Well, I'm getting some for me." You announced, walking towards the stand.

You soon returned with two small, plastic bowls of the creamy frozen dessert.

"Two?" Aika looked at you the way a disapproving parent would look at a child.

"The messed up on my order," you laughed nervously, "So I got another one."

Aika eyed you suspiciously.

"Wouldn't they just throw it out?"

You hadn't thought of that.

"Haha, why would they let perfectly good ice cream go to waste?"

"Do you even like strawberry?"

"Of course not, but I thought you might want it.".

Your sister still looked skeptical.

"But I told you I wasn't hungry."

"A-anyways..." you dodged, "Let's move over there so I can eat them before they melt."

You walked to a nearby bench and laid down your groceries. Aika followed suit.

"I'll just leave this here."

You scooted the strawberry ice cream over to your sister's side of the bench.

"I'm not—"

Aika's rant was interrupted by a loud gurgling noise that emanated from her stomach.

"..."

She blushed, but you made sure not to say a word.

"..."

Slowly but surely, her hand reached for the frozen treat. She slid it to her other hand then turned quickly until just her back faced you.

Before long, a muffled, "thanks," came from her direction—you could practically hear her blushing.

You felt a smile spreading across your face.

That "thanks" was all you needed, nothing more.

---

The rest of the day continued at the same pace.

You helped Aika unpack the groceries and clean the house—you even learned how to make dinner.

All in all, it was a very satisfying day.

---

"I'll be down for dinner," you yelled, heading upstairs.

Unfortunately, it was time to do that homework of yours.

Halfway through your Japanese assignment, Aika called from downstairs.

"...for you."

You slid your door open and made your way down.

"Hmm?"

"There's a package for you." Aika held up a fairly big box. "Did you order something?"

"Not that I can remember." you said, receiving the shoe box-sized container.

"Well, it's yours. Open it when you want." Aika shrugged and headed up to her room.

Placing the box on the living room table, you looked at it for a while before going to drawer to find a utility knife.

Aside from your name and address, it was completely and utterly unmarked—just your average box. There wasn't even a return address.

As you began slicing through the tape, a bad feeling washed over your entire being.

It was a oily, uncomfortable feeling that you just couldn't shake.

Could it be?

You looked around cautiously, then retreated to your room, box in hand.

Setting it down on your desk, you gave it another once over.

"Nothing strange. Guess I have no choice."

Folding back the two cardboard flaps, you were greeted with an incredible amount of styrofoam packing material.

"Here goes nothing..."

You reached into the mass of packing material and dug around until you came into contact with something cool and metallic.

It was kind of small—cylindrical and smooth, almost like. Like—

"Ah!" You yelped.

Realizing what it was, you pulled your hand out quickly.

"Thud!"

You fell from your chair, crashing to the ground.

"Oww."

Maybe that had been a little too quick.

The floor was covered with small, white polystyrene bits. The box's contents were haphazardly strewn about among them.

"Wha-what!?"

A compact revolver, a thin knife, and a file folder full of documents were scattered beneath your desk.

No one was allowed to send stuff like that through the mail, were they?

It was like something out of a spy film—no, it was more like horror fiction.

Horror. That was exactly what was coursing through your body, icing your veins.

Though your mind was still reeling from the shock, your gaze had locked onto something else in the box.
It was on one of the papers too.

Congratulations, Player 3.

The fat, black script imprinted on the document and the box's inside flap made it abundantly clear to whom the items belonged.

Was this the supposed to be part of the game?

Your mind was racing, but dark shapes were already dancing in the corners of your vision.

It wasn't real!

Your vision was blurring—the room leaping in and out of focus as you struggled to maintain your balance..

It couldn't be real!

Everything around you was spinning at dizzying speeds. There wasn't much you could do to stop it.

You needed to cry out. Something—anything would do..

"Thud."

Before you could open your mouth, your body dropped like a stone.

A single thought ran through your head.

Is Aika safe?

EPISODE 8

It was early morning when your consciousness returned.

Dim rays of light were squeezing past the gaps in your curtains, worming their way inside. Together, their glare was responsible for your untimely awakening.

"Ungh." You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut.

How long were these nightmares going to bother you?

A sharp pain ran through your left temple. Wincing you placed a hand on your aching head.

"..."

No! No! No!

Your eyes flew open and toured the room. A couple of glances immediately confirming your suspicions.

The bed was right next to you, you were in the middle of the floor, and the floor was still covered in white packing material—that and three vague shapes.

No reminder was necessary, you already knew what they were.

"Aika."

You were in the hall, frantically looking around.

Where was she? She was always up early.

"Aika?" you called, heading downstairs.

Except for the sunrise peeking through the kitchen window, everything was still dark. The house was dead silent.

"Aika!"

The hallway and bathroom next to the entryway were empty.

"Aika!" you yelled, tripping your way back up.

Her room! Maybe she was still in there.

"Ai—"

You stopped short.

Nothing.

The curtains were drawn and the bed was neatly made—no sign of anything strange.

You almost believed she'd gone to school without telling you, but her uniform was still hanging near her closet.

Where could she be?

Something flickered in the corner of your peripheral vision—a light at the end of the hall. It was just a faint radiating from underneath the doorway on the right, but it was all you needed.

You sped towards it, drawn like a moth to flame.

"Aika!" you called breathlessly, sliding back the door.

"!"

You immediately regretted storming in.

Aika was completely fine, but you probably weren't going to be.

"I'm about to take a bath."

Your sister was glaring at you over one shoulder. She was still in the middle of lifting her shirt up.

"Get out."

"S-sorry!"

The hem of your sister's light blue pajama shirt dropped down over her bare back.

You braced yourself for something bad—a painful slap, a berating remark—but she just stood there. The scowl on her face was shifting into a look of concern.

"A-are you alright?"

"Hm?"

"Your face."

She pointed to your left cheek, then one of the shower stools.

"Sit down."

You obeyed, still clueless, while Aika began soaking a washcloth at the sink.

It was then that you noticed your reflection in the mirror.

There sticky reddish-brown trail leading from your left temple to your jawline; a bruise was already beginning to form on your cheek bone. You wouldn't call either particularly big, but they did have shock value.

"Here," your sister still looked worried as she handed you the washcloth, "now tell me what happened."

You wanted to nothing more than to tell her the truth about everything—the game, the dead player, even the dangerous items in your room. In fact, every fiber in your being was screaming that it was the right thing to do.

But, you couldn't.

No matter how much you wanted to say something, involving Aika had "bad idea" written all over it.

She was already forcing herself to grow up too fast, you couldn't risk pulling her into a potentially life-threatening situation where she couldn't do anything.

It wasn't even an option.

You swallowed, trying to think of something that would satisfy her.

At last, you spoke.