A Suicide of Inconvenience
Classes were over for the day, and students had gathered on the school’s athletic field.
Sagara Sousuke stood in the batter’s box, wearing his usual sullen expression, complete with tight frown. He had removed his high-collared uniform and was dressed in just his undershirt. For some reason, he didn’t hold a bat, nor was there a catcher behind him; yet his stern gaze was pointed at the pitcher’s mound, where his classmate, Onodera Kotaro, was standing.
Kotaro was a big guy with a crew cut who, for some reason, wasn’t wearing a mitt either. He instead had his hands full with as many baseballs as they could hold. “Okay,” he said. “Here we go, Sagara!”
“Ready any time,” Sousuke responded.
Onodera took in a deep breath, then threw the baseballs high into the air.
In that instant, Sousuke drew a black pistol from the holster on his back and fired it over Onodera’s head. His target? The six balls just reaching the height of their arc.
Blam! Blamblamblam! Blamblam! All the balls in the air were sent flying, pierced by bullets, as shredded rubber drifted to the ground. The other eight boys watching let out a cheer.
“Damn, awesome!”
“He got ’em all!”
“I win. That’ll be 300 yen.”
“Damn... at least miss one of ’em!”
Amid the chatter, Onodera walked off the mound, gave Sousuke a firm nod, then looked at his gun. “Boy, that’s a hell of a lot of power,” he observed. “How’d you modify it?”
“I installed a laser sight, but I didn’t use it just now. Otherwise, I simply replace the parts as they wear out,” Sousuke responded casually before holstering his weapon.
The gun was an Austrian-made 9mm semi-automatic, known as a Glock 19. It was a shorter version of the Glock 17, the famous pioneer of plastic-frame pistols. Its short length made it convenient to carry around, but it was neither particularly powerful nor especially precise. And this was just an ordinary mass-production model, without much customization at all. He had installed an off-the-shelf mini laser sight (easy to acquire even in Japan) in it, but he never actually used it when shooting. It was there for other reasons.
“Wish I had one,” Onodera said wistfully. “How much was it again?”
“Roughly 100,000 yen.”
“Wow, that’s a lot! Almost like the real thing. Guess I’ll pass on that one.”
It was widely known among the students at this point that Sousuke had grown up in war-torn regions overseas and knew little about everyday life in Japan. However, even now, most of them still believed that Sousuke’s gun was some kind of modified replica.
“C’mon, guys. Let’s stop playing around and start practicing,” said Kazama Shinji, a short and mild-mannered boy, with a sigh. “We went to all this trouble to reserve the athletic field, and there’s only two days left until the inter-class tournament.”
The inter-class tournament was one of Jindai High School’s customs, set to be held two days from now. For practice purposes, the sports clubs had been yielding the athletic field and the gym to regular students for the past few days. Some classes were extremely excited for the event, while some seemed entirely indifferent. Sousuke, Onodera, Kazama, and the others from class 2-4 were registered in the boys’ baseball division, but none of them were taking it seriously at all.
“But...”
His classmates voiced their objections in turn.
“Practice sucks, y’know?”
“Yeah. Let’s wash out in the first round and go play Uno on the roof.”
“Besides, Kazama, you’re the lousiest of all of us.”
Shinji floundered a little bit, looking to Onodera for aid, but the other boy just shrugged his shoulders. “What do you expect?” he said. “We’re up against class 7 in the first round. They’ve got a ton of guys in the baseball club. Not sure how far practicing is gonna get us.”
“Well, I guess...”
“At least the girls are better off. Right, Sagara?”
“It does appear so,” Sousuke responded, turning his eyes to the gym across the athletic field. “Chidori has been quite engaged.”
And inside that very gym...
Chidori Kaname was dressed in her gym uniform, running her classmates through a hard practice session. Her long black hair, held in place by a ribbon, was disheveled, and she was barking at those around her. “Okay! Make it look like you’re doing a back change, then break out the sumo slaps. Drop the ball behind you and let it roll!”
Five girls, including Kaname herself, were dancing around the basketball court, their motions intense. But at the same time, something was off: one ran through over-the-top fancy footwork; another mimed pulling down an invisible opponent’s shorts; one plunged a ball under her shirt, making her look pregnant. An outside observer might not think they were practicing seriously at all.
“Yes, good! If you pass to me, I’ll land a crossover dribble that’s totally pointless but will look super cool, and then—” As Kaname explained, she passed the ball between her legs several times, showing off a wild dribbling style. Thumpa thumpa thumpa! The echoing of bouncing balls resonated throughout the gym. “I’ll show off my technique to the spectators and our opponents... watch carefully for when they start to get bored with it, okay? That’s when Kyoko will bring in a spare ball...” One of the members of the team, Tokiwa Kyoko, picked up a ball lying outside the court and approached Kaname. “Then she’ll whap me with it from behind!”
“Hi-yah!” Just as requested, Kyoko threw the ball at Kaname’s butt. The ball hit her, then rolled listlessly to the ground.
Then, as the other girl just stood there, Kaname stopped dribbling, and mussed up her hair. She looked like a frustrated auteur film director. “Not like that! You’re supposed to yell! Hit me harder, with more anger! And I want you to show more... you know, bubbleheaded (obsolete term) reactions!”
“Like what?”
“Say, ‘Oopsie, I missed!’ or ‘Like, sorry, tee-hee!’ or something like that!”
“Wow. That’s a little too cheesy for me,” said Kyoko, looking distinctly opposed to the suggestion.
“Your character in this performance is ‘Valley Girl’ (obscure ancient language)!” Kaname told her exasperatedly. “It’s a statement to the audience! You’re telling them to look at themselves in the mirror!”
Despite Kaname’s absolutely outrageous demands, Kyoko didn’t look angry at all, but just tugged at her braids and adjusted her cute coke-bottle glasses. “Geh... I think I get what you’re going for, but... Is this really worth it just for an inter-class tournament? We could probably win if we just played normally.”
Kaname was obviously excellent at sports, but the rest of the girls on the team were as well (except Kyoko, who was just average). Their team was already one of the favorites to win.
Kyoko’s complaint turned Kaname red with frustration, steam rising out of her ears. “Well, when we picked our teams, everyone said they just wanted to have fun!”
“Sure, we did say that...”
“If we want to put on a crowd-pleasing performance, we need to put our blood, sweat, and tears into rehearsal! Do you realize how long comedy novel writers spend just sitting and staring at their word processors?!” Kaname demanded.
“That’s a really random example, Kana-chan...”
Kaname always got weirdly obsessive about these events. It was as if they made her blind to everything around her as she focused only on rushing forward as fast as she could.
“But... it’s against the rules to mess up on purpose,” said one of her teammates.
The rest had their own complaints to voice, too.
“Isn’t showing off like this kind of counter to rules of sportsmanship?”
“It does seem kind of messed up.”
“‘Messed up?!’” Kaname shouted at the four of them. “Don’t you know anything about the seventy-year history of the Harlem Globetrotters?! They’re the best show basketball players in America! They use their incredible techniques to make the audience laugh! And even then, they always win easily. They’re way more inspiring to kids than the stupid Bulls. And that’s what we should be aiming for! Entertainment!” It was a truly heartfelt speech. However, that particular team’s abilities were a million times greater than those of these girls.
As Kyoko cradled her face in her hands, Kaname looked longingly up at the ceiling. “I went to see a Globetrotters show a long time ago,” she said. “I got a handshake and an autograph from Mannie Jackson. It was just the best... hee hee hee.”
“There she goes again...”
“She’s such a sports geek...”
Just then, they heard a girl’s angry shouting from the neighboring court. “How many times do I have to tell you?! A lame pass like that is just giving the opponent the ball!”
“...?”
They looked over to see Class 2-2 practicing on the neighboring court. The person shouting was a tall girl who appeared to be their leader, and the one she was yelling at was a short girl who was sluggishly retrieving a ball.
“Oh, Mizuki...” Kaname said, referring to the short girl. She had semi-long hair and a face that was childish yet proud. She was only a little bit taller than Kyoko, but significantly more curvaceous.
The girl, whose name was Inaba Mizuki, glared at the other girl with tear-filled eyes.
“What are you looking at? I’m just trying to make you better so you stop messing up the team,” the leader girl insisted.
“...”
“Oh, okay. Whatever, then. Go do chest passes against the wall. By yourself,” she added coldly, turning away from Mizuki. Her teammates followed her lead.
Mizuki left the court without a word, then sat down facing the wall and practiced her passing all alone. She threw the ball. It bounced back, and she caught it. She did this over and over again.
“What are you looking at?” Mizuki asked sullenly as she noticed Kaname was looking at her.
Kaname walked swiftly up to her and crouched down at her side. “Wanna practice passes with me?”
Kaname’s request, predictably, enraged Mizuki. “Oh, please! I don’t want your pity—”
“I was kidding,” Kaname said without even a smile.
This only made Mizuki even more infuriated... for half a second, but then she just sagged. She gave Kaname a listless side-glance, then threw the ball at the wall. “Sheesh... I wonder why talking to you always seems to tick me off.”
“It’s just because you’re so stubborn,” Kaname suggested. She was, of course, correct. Mizuki was a proud girl with a somewhat perverse personality, and had a tendency towards underhanded behavior, so she didn’t have many friends. Kaname was about the only person in the school who would interact with her this openly.
“I hate the stupid tournament. Playing these barbaric games to see who wins and loses is such a pointless exercise,” Mizuki kept muttering as she practiced her passes.
“Hmm. Well, if you’re not good at it, can’t you just focus on having fun?” said Kaname.
“How am I supposed to have fun?” Mizuki demanded. “I’d rather just leave it to the people who want to do it.”
“That’s how I feel about the marathon, yeah...”
“I want them all dead. I wish I could set fire to the school or the gym.”
“Hey, now...”
Just then, the leader girl from earlier pointed at Kaname and shouted, “Excuse me! Kaname-san, wasn’t it? Could you please stop interrupting our practice?”
“Hmm?” Kaname recognized the girl. She was the vice president of the girls’ basketball club, Shoji Mia. She was even taller than Kaname and had a lively short haircut.
She and Mia had faced off at last year’s tournament (which had also been basketball), and Kaname’s team had won. Mia’s team was focused too much on polished play, while Kaname’s team saw it as ‘just a school tournament,’ and so were willing to go for rough and dirty tactics (Kaname had also prepared pro-wrestling style ‘poison fog’ and corkscrews, but didn’t have a chance to use them.)
The loss had apparently been a big blow to Mia’s pride, because ever since, Shoji Mia had always flinched whenever she looked at Kaname. It was the face someone wore when they suddenly ran into their ex, with whom they’d had a messy breakup. And in a way, this was a similar situation.
“Yeah, yeah, beg your freaking pardon,” Kaname muttered. “See you later, Mizuki.”
Kaname moved to leave, but Mia shouted after her, “I know it’s just an inter-class tournament, but watching your ridiculous practice makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Grr...”
“Aren’t you ashamed of looking foolish in front of everyone?”
Kaname wouldn’t take that lying down. She stopped in her tracks. “Heh. Talk about us all you want, but you’re the ones who’re going to lose,” she taunted. “And miserably, at that.”
“What was that?” Mia shouted back.
Kaname simply smiled like an evil terrorist. The battle had already begun. This was what was known as psychological warfare: you made the other person as angry as possible, which actually ended up making them afraid. It was like a press conference between two heavyweight boxers before a match: This guy ain’t shit. I’m gonna pound his face in!
“Prepare to be humiliated twice as hard as last year,” Kaname told her. “I’m gonna expose you for the loser you are and make your life a living hell. You’ll be the sad clowns we step on along our way to certain victory. Heh heh heh...”
Mia looked shaken for a moment, but rebutted with, “F-Fine, bring it on! Don’t cry too hard when you lose!”
“Hah... ha ha ha!” Kaname refused to dignify her with another response, instead striding back to her own court.
The next day—the day before the tournament—arrived. During lunch break, Kaname and Sousuke were called to the student council room via schoolwide announcement.
Kaname was the student council vice president, while Sousuke held the rather dubious title of ‘Head of School Security and Aide to the Student Council President.’
“Darn it, I wanted to practice basketball,” Kaname muttered as she headed for their destination. She cast a glance over at Sousuke, who was silently accompanying her. “That’s right, Sousuke. You’re on a baseball team, right? What position are you playing?”
“You mean on defense?”
“Of course.”
“Vanguard,” he responded. “Kazama says it’s the most important position to play to stop the enemy advance.”
Kaname fell silent for about three seconds. “Are you talking about first base?”
“It may be called that as well.”
“Are you sure about this?” she asked suspiciously. “You’re not allowed to shoot or hit the runners, okay?”
Sousuke looked at her as if he was hurt. “I’m not that foolish,” he protested. “It’s against the rules to engage in violence directly against the enemy.”
“Hey, you really do get it!”
“Yes. That’s why I planted mines along the enemy’s route of advance—along the first base line, in other words. It’s the route they’ll have to take.”
Kaname fell silent again. The vague image of a batter hitting the ball, taking off into a run, and being blown to smithereens in front of the spectators floated through her mind.
“The only issue we might face is if the enemy employs the human wave tactics of the Iranian army,” Sousuke continued. “The enemy team has nine players in all, but if they were all to swarm first base at once, the mines would fail to keep them at bay. I wish there was a more effective way.” He seemed to consider this, while Kaname stared at him in disbelief. “Hmm? What’s wrong?” he asked as he noticed.
“Um... it’s not technically written in the rules,” she told him. “But landmines are also off limits, okay?”
Sousuke was briefly silent. “I’m using reduced amounts of gunpowder to limit their lethality. Are they still—”
“Yes, they are!”
“Hmm...”
Soon, they arrived at the student council room. They opened the door and went inside, where they found Hayashimizu, the student council president, sitting there alone.
“Oh? Is it just you, Senpai?” asked Kaname.
“Indeed. I have an important matter to discuss with you,” Hayashimizu responded. He was a young man with a cool and calculating demeanor, slicked-back hair and wireframe glasses. “As vice president and my aide, this is something I thought you both should know. Please, sit down.”
They each took a random seat, and the student council president began talking. “Tomorrow’s inter-class tournament has been canceled. It was the principal’s decision, and it will be announced today in homeroom.”
“Right, right... Wait, what?” It took Kaname a moment to fully process what he was talking about.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Hayashimizu asked. “The tournament is canceled.”
The tournament... canceled. The tournament she’d been looking forward to for so long... “The heck you say?! Canceled?! Why? Tell me why!” Kaname leaped to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table in front of her.
Hayashimizu was unmoved by her aggressive display and simply held out a printed piece of paper. “Read this,” he said. “It’s a fax that was sent to the student council room, the principal’s office, and the teachers’ office yesterday.”
“Let me see!” Kaname took it, and Sousuke peered at it from the side.
To everyone involved in the tournament. I’m a second-year girl. I’ve been bad at sports since I was little, and my classmates always mocked me for it. At sports festivals and marathons—every time one of these events rolls around—I’m tormented by headaches and stomachaches. I want to stay home that day, but it will make everyone on my team mad, and my parents would never let me. I want to die.
Please cancel the tournament. If you don’t, I might die. I’m sorry to be so selfish, but please. I really will die.
The instant she finished reading it, Kaname crumpled the paper up in her hands, threw it onto the floor, and stamped on it repeatedly. Then she kicked it up in the air and sliced it into shreds, the chops from her hand coming sixteen times a second. Then, still unsatisfied, she picked up a lighter and some oil spray (supplied to the student council room), used it to create an impromptu flamethrower, and let the fragments of the paper fall on the floor, burning with the fires of her rage.
“I’ll kill her myself!!!” Kaname howled. Towering over the burning shreds of paper, she was in an absolute fury.
Meanwhile, Sousuke and Hayashimizu simply stood there calmly, each opening a nearby window or door. Then they used a few folders to wave the smoke out of the room.
“That was perhaps a bit rash,” Hayashimizu said, while he continued fanning calmly. “I understand your frustration. It does feel a bit like a terrorist holding their own life hostage. But the principal has decided to comply with the demand, just in case.”
There was a vein throbbing in Kaname’s forehead. “But if you give in to a threat like this,” she replied, “where does it end?!”
“I fully understand your perspective,” Hayashimizu said again. “But what if this person really is driven to the psychological breaking point? And what if, as a result of our ignoring it, her body is discovered dead tomorrow? Who is responsible for her death, then?”
“Erk... W-Well...”
“The principal?” he continued ruthlessly. “Me? Her parents? Her classmates? Or all of society? Who bears the responsibility?”
Kaname hesitated to answer. Hayashimizu looked at Sousuke, asking him the same question with his eyes.
“The girl,” Sousuke responded simply.
“Exactly. It should go without saying. But we frequently forget that, Chidori-kun, as you did just now.”
“Geh...” It seemed that when it came to problems like these, Sousuke had more common sense than she did. Kaname felt slightly abashed as she realized it.
“Sagara-kun,” said Hayashimizu. “Obviously, it is up to the individual to look after their own life, but the illusion that this is not true has expanded to unhealthy levels here. It is understandable that the principal acceded to her demands.”
It was a rather abstract sentiment. Hayashimizu was always dealing in such complicated philosophical concepts, but for some reason, even though he was comporting himself as calmly as ever, he seemed somehow angry... It was probably her imagination.
“Still, I’m unable to accept that,” Sousuke said firmly. “No matter what form it takes, a threat is a threat. If you compromise with terrorists once, they’ll continue to push you forever. We should find the girl and take her out with a sniper’s bullet.”
Smash! The fan, which had appeared at some point in Kaname’s hand, hit Sousuke over the head.
“That really hurts,” he said.
“You shut up!” she told him. “You’re missing the whole point!”
“Hmm...” Sousuke folded his arms thoughtfully.
Leaving Sousuke to his thoughts, Kaname looked pleadingly at Hayashimizu. “Isn’t there anything we can do? To just cancel it like this...”
“Well, it isn’t set in stone yet,” he admitted. “If we could find the student in question and relieve the threat of suicide, we could overturn the cancellation. I have the principal’s word on this.”
“I’ll find her!” Kaname responded instantly. “She’ll be an unathletic second-year girl, right? That narrows it down a lot already!”
“Assuming the letter is truthful, of course,” Hayashimizu pointed out. “And you may offend those with whom you interact.”
“I don’t care. I’ll do it. I won’t let the tournament be canceled for such a stupid reason! Okay!” Kaname flew out of the student council room instantly, leaving Sousuke and Hayashimizu alone in the room together.
“But Mr. President, what if the perpetrator is just doing this for fun? Then no matter how Chidori sniffs around, she won’t find them,” Sousuke said, looking unsatisfied.
“I’m aware of that possibility. Hackneyed though it may be, I created this.” Hayashimizu spoke self-reproachingly, and held out a new sheet of paper. It was made up of short sentences and printed from a similar word processor.
To those involved in the inter-class tournament. After thinking it over, I’ve realized I was being stupid. I’m sorry for causing trouble. I won’t kill myself, so please don’t call off the tournament. I really am sorry.
“I see,” Sousuke observed. “A fake letter.”
“Yes, we’ll use the enemy’s anonymity against them,” Hayashimizu affirmed. “In the worst-case scenario, I’ll send it to the principal and the teachers’ office. It will be deceiving them... but of course, when dealing with people willing to concede to threats, I see no need to hold back.”
If Kaname were still present, she’d probably mutter something about them being villains.
“I’ll accompany Chidori.” Sousuke stood up.
“Will you? I doubt there’s anything you can do to help.”
“Actually, I’m worried that if Chidori locates the blackmailer, she might be killed to ensure her silence,” Sousuke told him. “Caution comes first.”
“The possibility of that seems astronomically low to me, but... do as you wish.”
“Sir. In that case...” The boy took his leave.
Unaware that Hayashimizu had a Plan B in mind, Kaname raced through the school building, shoulders heaving in rage. She started with the closest room, Class 2-8, and tried all the likely students in order. She spoke to her friends and acquaintances in each class to pick out girls who were less than athletically inclined, and then ask those girls a few leading questions. “What sport are you playing tomorrow?” “Got anything weighing on you?” “There’s a fax going around with your number on it...” It was an unpleasant and awkward job, but it was the only way to go about it.
There were quite a few people who weren’t in class because it was lunchtime, and these she had to run all over school to locate. It was really time-consuming work, and most of the answers more or less came down to: ‘What in the world are you talking about?’ It was an inevitable response to being interrogated out of nowhere by a girl from another class to whom they’d never spoken before.
“Whew...” Kaname let out a sigh. She’d managed to work through the majority of the second-year student body, from Class 8 to Class 3. They were already nearing the end of the lunch period. “But... But I can’t give up!” she told herself. She wouldn’t let the tournament be canceled by some shifty, anonymous threat. She just couldn’t accept it, and she slapped her cheeks with both hands to psych herself up.
“Looks like you’re having a hard time,” said Sousuke, who had been tagging along for a while.
“It’s not over yet!” Kaname told him. “I still have the most likely suspect to visit.”
“To whom are you referring?”
“A previous offender. Just yesterday, she said... Well, never mind,” she responded as they arrived at the entrance to the gym.
Numerous students were practicing hard on the basketball court. Kaname strode towards a corner of the room, dragging Sousuke along. Inaba Mizuki was standing in the same place as yesterday, alone, doing passes against the wall.
“What do you want?” Mizuki gave Kaname a glance before throwing the ball against the wall. She seemed to have noticed Sousuke standing beside her, but immediately averted her eyes.
“Mizuki. I need to speak with you.”
“Just make it fast. Miss Annoying herself is right over there.” She stole a glance at Shoji Mia, who was yelling at their teammates back on the court.
Kaname put her hands on her hips and got to it. “Listen, I really don’t think you’re a bad person.”
“Oh? Gee, thanks.”
“When I think back on some of the things you’ve done to me, I actually think they’re pretty funny,” Kaname continued.
“Look... I’m sorry about that,” Mizuki said grudgingly, throwing her ball against the wall again. It bounced off with a sharp sound.
“So, listen. If you’re upset—” Kaname got that far, and then stopped.
What she was about to say was, ‘—and you’ve done something stupid again, just tell me, okay? I won’t hold it against you.’ But before she could say that, she noticed that Mizuki’s throws against the wall were sharper and more precise than yesterday. The girl had been diligently applying herself to improving her practice passes. There was sweat on her face that she didn’t even bother wiping off. She had silently kept up her practice, and she was seeing results for it. Why would someone who’d sent a threatening letter trying to cancel the tournament be working that hard?
“What is it, Chidori?”
“Er...”
Sousuke was looking at her in suspicion. Mizuki seemed a little bit annoyed as well. “Well? What did you want with me again?” she demanded.
“Ah... Well, actually...” She felt a cold chill run up her spine. What am I doing? Just because they seem a little bit suspicious, I’m accosting my own friends and treating them like criminals? Maybe my anger is making me crazy. This isn’t who I usually am! Suddenly flooded with embarrassment and self-loathing, Kaname lowered her face and turned red. “Ha... ha ha... looks like you’re practicing hard, huh?”
“That’s right. I really hate feeling like I’m holding others back,” Mizuki responded with a scowl. Just then, Kaname suddenly threw her arms around her. “What the... What?!”
“I’m sorry, Mizuki! I’ve been a huge jerk! I suspected you for no reason, based on an awful, arrogant, selfish assumption! You really are a team player sometimes, aren’t you?!” She held Mizuki tight, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Ugh... Wh-What’s with you?”
“I just...” she sobbed. “I’ve really hurt you and made you suffer! Forgive me. Please.”
“You’re hurting me. You’re making me suffer. Mm... hrrk...” Mizuki choked, her fingers spasming as she struggled for dear life.
“Chidori... she can’t breathe,” Sousuke told her. “You’re killing her. Stop it.”
“Hey, you! How many times do I have to tell you?! Don’t get in the way of our practice!” The shout came from Shoji Mia.
“Oh?” Kaname lay the unconscious Mizuki on the ground (Sousuke tending to her), and turned to face the other girl.
Mia walked up to her, glaring. “Honestly! Do you have to try to sabotage us just because you know you can’t beat us? These are some seriously dirty tactics!”
Kaname scowled. “Ugh... I knew you’d say that. Don’t you know I’ve been running around the school all day trying to make sure the tournament happens?”
“What?”
“An anonymous student asked the school to cancel, under the totally illogical threat that she’d kill herself if they didn’t. On behalf of the student council, we’re trying to find that student now.” When Sousuke explained, Mia’s hostility subsided.
“I see. That sounds... hard,” she admitted.
“You’re damn right it is. It’s really hard.” Kaname puffed up her chest proudly—though in fact, she’d already decided to give up her ugly search for the culprit and seek another resolution.
“Well? Have you found any leads as to who it might be?” Mia asked.
Kaname was about to say, ‘No, not at all,’ but she reconsidered and instead said, “Yeah. I know exactly who it is.”
It was a lie, of course. She didn’t like Shoji Mia, and didn’t want to admit to her failure. Sousuke tried to interject, but she stomped on his toes to keep him quiet.
“So, who made the threat?”
Kaname felt internally flustered. Ugh, I should have known she’d ask... Better try to brush her off with a joke.
With an assumed air of great importance, she pointed straight at Mia. “Hah. It was you, Shoji-san!”
A few seconds passed. The other girl was expressionless. Neither her eyebrows nor her mouth moved, and she just stared at Kaname.
Ah... She’s mad. Kaname’s mind went into damage control mode as it strained to figure out a follow-up like, ‘just kidding. That’s actually classified info. Ha ha ha ha ha...’ She was about to open her mouth to try that one out, when suddenly...
“How did you know?” Mia asked, all of the blood draining from her face.
Kaname stared at her. “Wha...?”
“How did you know? I’ve been practicing really hard... I didn’t think anyone would notice. How did you know it was me?”
It was such an unexpected reaction that both Kaname and Sousuke were left dumbstruck.
“Y-You—”
“It’s... It’s all over!” Mia’s voice broke, and she took off running for the door of the gym. The other two could only stare blankly after her.
“I’m surprised, Chidori. How did you know?” Sousuke asked her, with an expression of great admiration.
“Huh?” Kaname said blankly. “Um... just a shot in the dark, actually.”
“No need to be humble. I’m impressed. What deduction method did you—”
“Seriously, it was dumb luck! Anyway, we have to go after her. I have... a really bad feeling about this.”
“What about Inaba?” Sousuke cast a glance to Mizuki, who was still on the floor.
“Ah... Take her to the nurse’s office. Please? Thanks!” Leaving Mizuki and Sousuke behind, Kaname ran after Mia.
She continued to run after Mia, asking students on the way through the halls and stairs where she’d gone. She ran into a first-year on the 4th floor and asked if she’d seen her.
“Yeah, she went to the roof,” the girl said in response.
Kaname thanked her, then ran off again, up the stairs to the roof. She couldn’t stop her heart from pounding as she thought, I really hope this isn’t what I think it is...
But indeed, it was. She came out onto the roof and saw Shoji Mia there, already over the railing and fence. She was one step away from a plunge to the ground below.
A cool wind blew by, stirring Mia’s hair. She looked as if she already had one foot in the grave.
“Don’t do anything stupid! Get back here right now!” Kaname took a step forward.
“Stay back!” Mia shrieked, one hand gripping the fence. “If you come one step closer, I’ll kill myself! I’ll be expelled for this anyway! What’s the point of living on?!”
“I mean, I think being expelled is better than being dead...”
“Wah! So I really will be expelled?! I’d rather die! I will die!” Mia sank to her knees, crying. She really could fall off the roof at any time.
Kaname was standing face to face with a suicidal person. There was no one else around. Ah, what do I do? What do I do? While Kaname wracked her brain, she started asking questions, hoping to calm the other girl down. “Sho... Shoji-san? Um... before you do that, could you tell me something?”
“What?!”
“Why did you send that fax? You’re really good at sports. Shouldn’t the inter-class tournament be a place for you to shine?”
“Yes! It should be!”
“Then, why—”
“It’s your fault, Chidori Kaname!!!” Mia yelled, her face contorted in the setting sun’s light.
“What?” Kaname asked in surprise.
“Yes, I know I can’t possibly beat you! It would be just the way you said! You’d make me look like a loser and leave me in the dust,” Mia wailed, “even though I’m on the real basketball team! I’d be humiliated in front of everyone! I can’t stand it!”
This time, it was Kaname who turned pale. Am I the cause of it all, she wondered? She’d always thought that Shoji Mia was tougher than this... The thought that she had driven someone else to the psychological breaking point was almost unbelievable to her.
“I... Er... W-Well then, why didn’t you just take the day off? You could—”
“Don’t be stupid! I know how mean you can be,” Mia scoffed. “If I was the only one who’d taken the day off, you’d just tell everyone I ran away!”
Kaname suddenly purpled. “D-Don’t be stupid! I’d never do something like that!”
“Shut up! You have all the talent, but you never put in any work and just mess around all day... Why should I believe anything you say?!”
“Geh...” Those words cut deeply, because Mia was right. Kaname was a real ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ type; she was better than most people at anything she tried, but there was nothing she really applied herself to. Cooking was about the closest thing she had, but even that she approached more like a hobby.
She couldn’t beat somebody who was both talented and seriously applied themselves to a skill—Sousuke and Hayashimizu, for instance—but she could usually beat your average hard-working type, like Mia or Mizuki, without much effort at all. From the perspective of someone like Mia, then, she probably seemed horrendously petty. Chidori Kaname, the cheater. The mean girl. She’s the one person I can’t afford to lose to. But I will, no matter how hard I work...
“It’s all my fault...” Kaname whispered to herself.
Mia was right, wasn’t she? Kaname’s selfish behavior had harmed this girl. She’d been stubborn, acted in poor faith, and driven her to the brink of suicide. Or maybe that way of thinking was the true arrogance... But either way, what should she do?
As Kaname just stood there, cowed into silence, Mia glared at her. Her expression was a complicated one—half proud, half self-pitying—and her face a mess of tears. “You see now, Chidori-san? It’s all your fault! And you’ll regret it all your life!”
“S-Stop it!”
“Hah! If you want me to stop, you’d better grovel before me! Maybe if you strip yourself naked, I’ll consider it!” Mia was saying awful things in her desperation. But just as Kaname was genuinely thinking of stripping down and groveling...
“A curious logic.” Sousuke arrived on the roof and spoke from behind her.
“Sousuke?”
“I left Inaba in the nurse’s office, Chidori. But why is this girl standing on the edge of the roof, giving you orders?” A furrow appeared on his brow, and he sounded very confused.
“A-Are you serious? She’s trying to kill herself,” Kaname told him incredulously. “We have to stop her!”
“I just have to stop her from killing herself?” Sousuke checked.
“Yes. But—”
“Understood. That’s easily done.”
“Hey... are you okay? Hey... ah!”
“Just watch. This is negotiation.” Sousuke stepped forward, without any further explanation. He picked up a volleyball that had fallen on the roof—some student had swiped it from the gym storehouse, no doubt—and strode for the fence.
“D-Don’t come any closer! I really will jump! Hey! Are you listening?!” Mia shouted at him.
But Sousuke ignored her and, with the ball tucked under his arm, dexterously vaulted the fence. Mia was standing on the edge of the roof just five meters away.
“I-If you come any closer, I really will do it!”
“I won’t come any closer. I promise,” he told her. “But, look at this...” As he said it, he threw the volleyball he was carrying off the roof. A moment later, so swiftly that it left an afterimage, Sousuke drew the black automatic pistol from its holster. He pointed it at the falling volleyball, and then...
Blam! Blam! Blamblam!
The gunshots rang out. The ball was torn to shreds in midair, which slowly drifted to the ground.
Mia said nothing. She just watched it, stunned, eyes wide.
“Now, remain where you are.” Sousuke next pointed his gun at Mia. He held it firmly in both hands, activated the laser sight, and pointed it straight at her chest. Mia looked down at the red point on her shirt, her face twisted with the fear of the unknown.
“Hey, Sousuke! What do you think you’re doing?!” Kaname shouted.
But Sousuke steadily maintained his aim. “Shoji Mia, was it? Vice President Chidori has ordered me to prevent you from killing yourself. I will do whatever it takes to stop that from happening.”
“Um... what?” Mia began to panic, unable to process what was happening.
Meanwhile, Sousuke said in a calm and clear voice, “That ball represents your future. If you jump now, I will shoot at least four special rounds into your head. Yes, before you hit the ground.”
“Um... what?” Mia floundered. “Why would you—”
“You don’t see?” he asked calmly. “That is how I will prevent you from killing yourself.”
Kaname’s mouth dropped open in shock as she finally realized what he was talking about. He was saying that he would kill her before she killed herself.
“Y-You’re going to shoot me? B-But I said I wanted to die!”
“That is your right, but I won’t let you have it the way that you want—which is by your own hand,” Sousuke told her firmly.
“This is ridiculous!”
“I’m afraid you’ve lost.” Sousuke chuckled, with a hint of triumph. “If you survive this day, you’ll have plenty of chances to kill yourself later. Will you live to see them, or will you give up and die now? This is your choice.”
“Wait, what are you... What? Ahhh!” Mia let out a wail of confusion.
Meanwhile, Kaname’s art turned horrifically off-model as she dropped limply to her knees. “Sousuke... You are... You are just... What in the world...” she whispered to herself, but couldn’t find any more words after that.
Sousuke shifted the gun to his right hand, while his left hand slowly beckoned, like the grim reaper itself. “All right, Shoji. You have three seconds. Death or humiliation—choose one.”
“Hey—”
“Three...”
“Wait—”
“Two...”
“Stop!”
“One...!”
And in the end... Shoji Mia chose humiliation.
●
The next day, the inter-class tournament went through as planned.
Hayashimizu heard what happened, but chose not to report Mia’s actions to the principal. He sent in the fake letter he’d printed, and the incident was easily resolved.
Shoji Mia was so shaken by the events of the previous day that she didn’t attend the tournament. As a result, the Class 2- 2 team lost in the second round. Still, Inaba Mizuki was able to land a couple of pass assists, which somewhat increased her popularity with the class.
Kaname’s team played the normal way in the end, rocketed through the rounds, and won, as expected. But even in her moment of triumph, Kaname didn’t look anywhere near as happy as the others.
Incidentally, Sousuke’s baseball team lost, with the mercy rule having to be invoked. Following their elimination, they went up to the roof to mess around.
Over the course of that day, Sousuke completely mastered the rules of Uno and card-based mahjong.
〈A Suicide of Inconvenience — The End〉
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