Battle Royale

Did he mean they'd never return because they were escaping the country? Still...

Shuya looked back at Shogo. "Don't tell me we came all the way up here for this."

Shogo snickered. "Hey, what's the rush?" Then he said, "Show me your gun. There's something I need to check."

Noriko handed over her Smith & Wesson to Shogo. He opened up its cylinder and checked it. Shuya thought Noriko had reloaded it after taking that single shot at Kazuo.

Shogo didn't return the gun and instead held it in his right hand. He took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember how I kept on saying I might be doing this just to have a group, and that my intention might be to kill you off in the end?"

Shuya raised his brow. Yes, you said that, but?...

"Yeah, but?..."

"So," Shogo said, "you both lose."

Shogo pointed the Smith & Wesson at them.

3 students remaining

76

Shuya felt a strange expression forming on his face. As if he were grinning and bewildered at the same time. Noriko probably felt the same way.

"What is this?" Shuya said. "It's not such a great time to be joking right now."

"I'm serious," Shogo said and cocked the hammer.

Shuya's grin vanished. His right arm felt Noriko stiffen.

Shogo continued, "You can enjoy the view a little more. I told you, it'd be the last time." His stubbly face broke into a slight grin. It was a sinister grin he'd never shown before.

A crow cawed. Was it flying up above in the darkening evening sky?

Shuya finally spoke. His feelings were out of sync with the situation, he could only croak out pathetically, "What? What are you talking about?"

"You are so thick," Shogo responded with a shrug. "I'm going to kill you both. I'll be the winner. My second in a row."

Shuya's lips were trembling. No. This can't be.

He stuttered, "Come on...stop it. Then...then you were just acting until now? You...you looked after us. You helped us so many times."

Shogo replied calmly, "You're the ones who helped me. I probably couldn't have killed Kazuo without your help."

"Then...so that story about Keiko was a lie too!?" His words trembled. The more he tried to keep his voice down the louder it became.

"Yep," Shogo answered curtly. "It was true I participated in the Hyogo Prefecture Program last year, and it's true there was a girl named Keiko Onuki. But there was nothing between us. The girl in that photo's my girlfriend, but her name's Kyoka Shimazaki, a totally different person. She's still in Kobe. She's out of her mind....Well, anyway, she insisted I hold onto this photo. I got to say she was a good lay, though."

Shuya took a deep breath. A light early summer breeze blew against his skin, but for some reason it felt chilly. Then he cautiously asked, "But what about that bird call?..."

Shogo had another curt response. "I just happened to find that at the general supply store. I figured it'd be useful. And it proved to be, in the end."

It grew darker and darker.

Shogo continued, "You lost the moment you trusted me," but Shuya still couldn't believe it. That can't be. That just...can't be. Then something occurred to Shuya. This...must be...

Noriko spoke out before Shuya, "Shogo...is this some test to see whether you can really trust us? Is it because Keiko couldn't trust you?"

Shogo shrugged his shoulders and said, "Unbelievable how you still believe in that fairy tale."

Those were his last words. Shogo held the gun in his hand and slowly pulled the trigger.

Two gunshots rang out as evening descended upon the island.

1 student remaining—GAME OVER—Report from Third Year Class B Shiroiwa Junior High School Program Headquarters Tracking System

77

Shogo Kawada (Male Student No. 5) reclined against the soft sofa on the ship. He was swaying slightly from the rough waves.

The room was fairly spacious for a small patrol ship. The ceiling itself was low, but the room must have been a couple square meters. There was a low table in the middle, and two sofas on each side, with Shogo sitting on the one away from the door.

Because the room was below deck it had no windows, so he couldn't see anything outside, but it must have been past 8:30 p.m. by now. The yellow ceiling lights shined against the glass ashtray. Shogo didn't have any more cigarettes to smoke, though.

Once the forbidden zones were all deactivated after the game was over, Shogo obeyed Sakamochi's announcements and made his way to the school. In front of the school were the bodies of Yoshio Akamatsu and Mayumi Tendo, and inside the classroom, the bodies of Yoshitoki Kuninobu and Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, all left untouched.