Battle Royale

She lifted her face. She must have been glaring at Kazushi, but she'd still give him one last chance.

"This is my last offer. I don't want to be with you. Just put that down and leave me alone. Otherwise, I'll take it that you're going to kill me. All right?"

Kazushi didn't move his bow gun. Instead he raised it up to his shoulders and threatened her, "This is my last warning. You better obey me, Takako."

The fact that Takako felt a thrill at this exchange, which was in some ways the turning point of their encounter, may have been indicative of her personality. And from here on...she couldn't be held responsible for what would happen.

Takako took a step forward to put an end to this conversation with this asshole.

"I see. So you just want to rape me. Right? You think dying gives you the right to do anything?"

Kazushi glared back at her. "That's not what I said ".

What's the difference? She laughed at him inside. Let me guess what you'll say next. I don't want to rape you, but you better take off your clothes?

Takako continued grinning as she calmly tilted her head. She said, "Right now, you might want to worry more about your life than about your lame-ass dick."

Kazushi's face suddenly flushed. His mouth twisted as he spouted off, "Shut up! You really want to get raped?"

Takako grinned and answered, "So the truth comes out."

"I told you to shut up!" Kazushi repeated. "I can kill you if I want, you know!"

He made her sick. She remembered how he tried to coax her into it just moments ago, saying, "I won't kill you."

Kazushi paused and then boasted, "I already killed Yoshio."

Takako was a little shocked, but she merely lifted her brow and remarked, "Huh." Even if it were true...given how he'd been hiding, he'd probably been terrified, then somehow bumped into Yoshio Akamatsu and ended up killing him by accident. After that, too scared of anyone stronger than him, he probably spent this whole time hiding. But knowing him, she knew that if he ended up surviving by hiding until he had one weaker final opponent, he'd say something like, "I have no choice" and kill him or her without hesitation.

"I was thinking," Kazushi continued, confirming Takako's suspicion. "I decided this is a game. So I'm not going to pull any punches."

Takako continued staring at Kazushi, still wearing that grin.

Ah ha. I understand now. So whether it was by consent or by raping me you were going to fuck me and then kill me. As long as you could survive by having everyone else including myself die? I see. Did you calculate how many times you could fuck me too?

Her spine tingled with disgust and fury.

"A game?" she repeated after him and then gave a big smile. "But aren't you ashamed doing this to a girl?"

Kazushi looked shocked, but then his face became sulky again. His cold eyes shone. "You want to die?"

"Go ahead, shoot me."

Kazushi hesitated. It was her chance. Takako threw the pebbles she'd cautiously taken out of her pocket at his face. As Kazushi covered his face to shield himself, she quickly turned around, dropped the day pack, and dashed back the way she came, all the while holding onto the ice pick.

She thought she could hear him curse behind her. With a good runner's sprint she'd covered fifteen meters when suddenly she felt a blow against her right leg and fell face forward. Her cheek got cut as it scraped against a tree root poking out of the ground. She was more upset over this wound on her face than she was over the sharp pain in her leg. That asshole cut my face!

Takako twisted her body around. A silver arrow pierced her skirt and was planted in the back of her right thigh. Blood dripped down her well toned leg muscles.

Kazushi caught up with her. Seeing her sitting there, he tossed aside the bow gun and took out a pair of short sticks chained together—nunchaku—from under his belt and held them in his right hand. The chain rattled (this weapon, by the way, had been in Mayumi Tendo's day pack, which Kazushi then took after killing Yoshio Akamatsu). (His own weapon for some bizarre reason was a plain shamisen banjo that was completely useless. Of course, this had nothing to do with Takako.)

Takako glanced at the bow gun on the ground and thought, you'll regret you put that down.

"It's your fault," Kazushi said, panting. "You provoked me."

Still seated, Takako glared up at Kazushi. The bastard was still making excuses. She couldn't believe she'd actually been classmates with this idiot for over two years.

"Wait," Takako said. As Kazushi knit his brows she got on her knees and twisted her right shoulder around, pulling out the arrow in one swift motion as she clenched her teeth. She could feel the flesh tear, followed by a gush of blood. Her skirt was torn again. So now her skirt had two slits.

She tossed the arrow aside and stood up, glaring at Kazushi. She was all right. The pain was incredible but she could take it. She shifted the ice pick over to her right hand.

"Don't do it," Kazushi said. "It's no use."