“Oh, a phone call! You’ve reached Much Burger, thank you muchly for calling!”
Kill me now. …In the dead silence following his impression, only Maina had been kind enough to chuckle, “Thank you muchly…hee-hee.”
The only reason Kyousuke had survived the ordeal was that Maina had laughed.
Suddenly, Kyousuke remembered that he had something he had to give back to Maina. I also need to clear up that misunderstanding from earlier, so I’d better hurry up and talk to…huh? As Kyousuke, checking his pocket for the handkerchief, rose from his desk, he noticed that Maina was not in her seat.
Finding this strange, he looked around. There she was. Hunching her small body over, she was trying to leave quietly out the door in the front of the classroom, without drawing attention to herself. And it seemed like Kyousuke wasn’t the only one who noticed her behavior.
“…They’re watching her, aren’t they?” Eiri muttered in a low voice. Kyousuke frowned silently. The three boys who had been leaning against the wall chatting—Shinji, Usami, and Oonogi—left the classroom one by one, following Maina.
Shinji was the leader. The necrophiliac “strangler,” who had killed two girls with his bare hands, laughed with narrowed eyes, licking his lips like a poisonous snake hunting its prey.
“Ah…this is no good,” Kyousuke mumbled. “I’m stepping out for a bit.” His hesitation was only momentary. Before he could get the words out, his body had begun moving of its own accord.
Eiri watched Kyousuke stand and kick his chair back. “…Hmm? That’s a surprise. Are you going to save her? Or to join in the fun?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Kyousuke scoffed. “Of course, I’m going to help her. How could I ignore something like this?”
“…Huh? Well, aren’t you kind, Kyousuke—for a murderer who killed twelve people.”
“Sh-shut up…I can be kind, too, you know!”
Eiri pointed at Kyousuke with one manicured fingernail. “I understand how you feel… If you hadn’t gone, I would have.” She spoke so low it sounded as though she were talking to herself.
Kyousuke’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “If I hadn’t gone…just what do you mean, Eiri?”
“…It’s nothing,” she replied tersely. “Anyway, shouldn’t you get going? You’ll lose sight of them soon.”
“Ah, crap!! I’m off to help…peaceably, if possible.”
“…Peaceably? Well, whatever… Try your best not to get killed.”
With a send-off wave from Eiri, Kyousuke hustled out of the classroom. Her final words still rang around in his head. He was afraid of that all-too-likely scenario and did not have a reply.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeek!!” A cornered shriek reached Kyousuke’s ears as he hurried down the stairs. Maina?! Those bastards made their move too quickly! As Kyousuke finished his descent to the first floor, he hung back for a moment, waiting to assess the situation.
Maina was completely surrounded in front of the girls’ bathroom. The boys who had followed Maina were Shinji, the weird hunchback boy, and the older boy with dreadlocks and sunglasses—the three of them were there, fanned out around her.
Kyousuke didn’t detect any other human presence. Most of the other students were likely still in class.
“W-wwwwh-wwhat do you want?!” Maina stammered, trembling. “Please don’t come any closer to me! If you do, I’ll do it! The p-poweesh… Police! I’ww call dem!!”
Shinji laughed cruelly as he backed Maina up against the wall. “Hey, hey. You don’t have to be afraid! We’re not going to cause you any harm. We just want to talk a little bit. In any case, even if you called them, the ‘poweesh’ wouldn’t come.”
“Wha…? Pwease don’ make fun ub me…”
Oonogi with his dreadlocked hair snickered at Maina, whose lowered face was bright red with shame. “Psh. You fumble yer words too much! Besides, even if ya weren’t shaking like a leaf, we still wouldn’t wanna do anything nasty to you here…so pwease rewax! Ha-ha-ha! …Isn’t that right, Shinji?”
“Yes, of course not. We don’t have any plans to do those sorts of things to you anytime soon, Miss Maina. We’re kindhearted guys, you know. In fact, we ought to take our time and get to know each other really well, don’t you think?”
“Hee-hee…,” giggled Usami. “…Striped panties, striped panties…white and blue…hee-hee-hee…”
Looking at each other, the three male students laughed. Their vulgar intentions were transparently obvious.
The hunchback Usami had lowered his awkward body down on all fours, brazenly peering up under Maina’s skirt. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut, she didn’t notice at all.
So the school-issued underpants don’t just come in black and white, there’s a blue-striped pattern as well, huh…? Wait, who cares about that?! Go help her quickly, Kyousuke Kamiya!
Getting his head back on straight, Kyousuke took a deep breath. He formed a fist and hardened his resolve.
Then, jamming his hands into his pants pockets, he assumed a casual demeanor and stepped out around the corner.
“…So then, Miss Maina. For now, would you eat lunch today with us—” Shinji was saying.
“Huh? Oh, Shinji!” Kyousuke interrupted loudly. “What a coincidence! What could you be up to, eh?” He raised a hand in a stiff greeting.
“What the—?” Shinji’s face, which turned at Kyousuke’s words, was hideous. Only one of his bloodshot eyes was open wide, and his mouth was crooked. As soon as he recognized Kyousuke, however, his murderous expression quickly morphed into a friendly, disarming smile. “Oh-ho. If it isn’t Mr. Kamiya? What brings you around?”
“Ah, well…nothing special! The bathroom upstairs was crowded, so…y’know… Ha-ha-ha-ha…” Kyousuke, shuddering at Shinji’s sudden metamorphosis, forced a laugh. For a second there, he really looked like he was going to kill me. Cold sweat rolled down his back.
“Ah, I see. Except during lunch, the one here on the first floor is empty.”
“…That’s what I thought. Anyway, what are you guys doing here?” Kyousuke asked, trying to steady the beginnings of a tremble.
Past the boys, he could see Maina, still shaky and tearful, but he deliberately pretended to ignore her.
Oonogi spoke up, smacking his lips. “Tch…like that’s any concern of yours? D’ya think you can act all cocky just because ya killed twelve people?! Listen up, shithead, hurry up, take yer shit, and scram.”
It seemed that Dreadlocks had it in for Kyousuke. He slid his sunglasses down and glared at Kyousuke over the rims. He had the same stench as Mohawk.
With a gesture, Shinji pacified Oonogi, who nevertheless continued to eye Kyousuke up and down as though he were going to make a move at any moment.
“My apologies, Mr. Kamiya. It’s because all of us are but humble killers… We couldn’t help but grow jealous of you, someone who’s so popular among both boys and girls, on top of having a twelve-person kill count. Heh-heh.”
“O-oh…is that so? That’s my fault, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Give me a break, I never wanted to inspire that kind of jealousy. If he’d had any say, he wouldn’t stand for it, but Kyousuke resisted making a show of his true feelings and forced a smile instead.
“Hee-hee…little, round, adorable butt, white thighs…hee-hee…” Only Usami continued to entirely ignore Kyousuke’s very existence, instead focusing entirely on examining the space under Maina’s skirt from a variety of angles. In some ways, he was the most frightening one. He’s really lost it.
“Ah!” Just then, Maina, who had been hanging her head, opened her eyes wide in apparent terror.
Shaking with fear and anxiety, staring out into space, she saw Kyousuke. In a flash, her flax-colored eyes opened wide.
Trying to reassure the startled girl, Kyousuke summoned the most cheerful voice he could manage. “Geez, Maina! This is the second time we’ve met like this, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I have the handkerchief you dropped the last time we talked, so—”
“Eeeeeeeeeeee!! K-kkk…Kyo…Kyoshkeeyy Kamiya?! H…huh?! Eeeeeeeeeeee!!”
“…Uh, yeah. That’s what I thought.”
Maina bumped into the wall as she tried to shrink away. Pointing a shaking finger at Kyousuke, her face was filled with fear and shock, her speech as incomprehensible as last time. “Wh-wh-wh-wh-why’re youhere…oh?! I-I knowhy! You orderb allub dis din’chu? You gabe yer underlindgs orders, andden you’ll takeid frum here, is datit?! H-how scawwy…” Stumbling over every syllable, it was nearly impossible to make out even a single word of what she was saying.
“Underlings?! Who is whose underling, huh?!” sharp-eared Oonogi shouted.
Maina, now even more frightened, looked like she was going to faint. She held her head with both hands and teetered, sobbing. Kyousuke tried again to reassure her. “Calm down, Maina! I’m not friends with these guys, it’s just a coincidence—”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!” Maina shrieked, crossed her arms, and took off in a dash. Using her small stature skillfully, she slipped past Kyousuke’s flank and tried to run away as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Hey, you, wait up!!”
Responding right away, Oonogi grabbed Maina’s arm and stopped her.
“Whooooooaaaaaa?!”
Maina, her feet tangled up in one another, fell flat on the floor dramatically, with great force. Then—
“Wha—?! Uwaaaaaaahhhhhh!!”
Maina put the force of her fall to use, and Oonogi, who had been gripping her wrist, was thrown clear overhead.
Having been thrown flying, his body glided through the air at a height almost grazing the ceiling, and he landed headfirst in the hallway about five meters away. “Whaaa—?!” Crack. His head made an inauspicious noise upon impact.
“……………………Wha—?”
What was that, just now?
Kyousuke was of course taken aback, as were Shinji and Usami.
That must have been a coincidence? Or did she do it on purpose? …I don’t get it.
Cutting loose with enough force to throw a person flying—no, letting go at the precise moment to make someone go flying, whether by coincidence or on purpose, would be absurd.
“……Uh.”
Maina, who was lying prostrate in the hall, lifted her face and looked at Oonogi, who had fallen faceup. “…Ah…ah…ah, aahhh……” Staring at the silent, unmoving boy, she began trembling slightly. “Aaaaaahhhh!! A-again…I’ve killed agaaain!! A-a-a-are you okaaaaaayyyy?! Waaah!” Clearly at the end of her rope, Maina managed to skitter and stumble over to where Oonogi lay.
Dreadlocks regained his senses with a groan, somehow still alive. As he began to pick himself up, he noticed Maina approaching, and for a moment their eyes met.
Maina’s face suddenly brightened. “Huh?! G-great! You’re ali— Whoooaaa!” At that moment, her legs gave out on her again, and she pitched forward, falling dramatically. As she did, her elbow, which had by chance been sticking out, landed squarely on Oonogi’s stomach in a magnificent elbow drop.
Despite her small size, it seemed the running start had afforded Maina’s maneuver a lot of power. Foam flying from his mouth and the whites of his eyes showing, Oonogi was completely unable to move this time.
No, wait. That had to have been on purpose. Kyousuke couldn’t help but think so, but if it had been, Maina was acting very strangely. She had immediately gotten up and was now running circles around Oonogi, looking extremely dismayed.
“Aaaaaahhh!! Wh-wwwh-whatdoido?! I did it again, I killed again… Waaahhh! Uumm, um— Whoooaaa!!”
“Huh?!”
She fell over again. Continuing what her elbow had started, Maina’s knee slammed into Oonogi’s crotch. Dragged screaming back to consciousness, Oonogi writhed in pain.
“Eeeeeek! C-calm down…I hab to cawm down! Whack and whack, like making mochi…noooooo!! Oh no, oh no, if they find me like this again…” The flustered Maina grew more and more panicked in front of Oonogi, who was fainting in agony.
“Whoa!!” “Augh!!” “Whoa!!” “Guuh!!” “Whoa!!” “Uyaa!!”
She fell; she smashed him with an elbow. She fell; she kicked him with a knee. She fell; she performed a perfect cross chop… She delivered a perfect series of violent attacks, all without any obvious malicious intent.
Maina’s face was streaming with tears as she stood up and then slipped and fell down again and again. She had a look of fretfulness, confusion, and fear—an expression of absolute panic.
“Hee-hee…that’s no good, clumsy girl…punish, punish…Heh-heh-heh…” Usami was the only one who moved, as Kyousuke and Shinji stood together, paralyzed.
Maina stood up after concluding her eighth round of attacks, and Usami closed in on her, nearly crawling on the ground.
While he wriggled the fingers on both of his hands restlessly, he approached her in a flash.
Noticing Usami drawing nearer, Maina shrieked. “Eee?! S-something’s coming over heeeeeere!!” Flustered, she continued to stammer. “Ah, um…w-well…uh…uummm…”
“H-hee-hee…peel off the panties, make her naked, and then, with the skin…Hee-hee-hee …”
“I…I’m sowwy I exist!”
“Whaa—?!”
Konk! Maina’s head, which she hurled downward after a long windup, smashed into Usami’s face. Spewing blood from his nose, Usami collapsed in a heap. The white bits sent scattering about must have been his teeth.
Maina on the other hand seemed to be completely unharmed and was running around in a frenzy. She was an unbelievable blockhead. And then, of course, as she was rushing around…
“Whoooaaa!!”
“Gyah!!”
Fortunately, Usami also fell prey to her clumsiness.
“Whoa!!” “Gya!!” “Whoa!!” “Gyaha!!” “Whoa!!” “Gyooh!!”
Over the sounds of Maina and Usami’s alternating screams, Shinji posed a question. “Hey, Mr. Kamiya…what the hell is going on?”
“What the— You think I have any idea?!”
As Kyousuke and Shinji watched in fear and astonishment, Maina rose shakily to her feet. It had probably happened when she struck Usami in the nose: Maina’s whole top half, from her cheeks to her chest, was soaked with sticky red blood. Tears fell in fat drops from her wide eyes as she sobbed.
“Aaa…I killed again, I killed again…waa…hic. What do I do, whatdoido, watdoido, waddoidooo… Uuhh, uh…aaa…a…”
Her spaced-out gaze finally landed on Kyousuke and Shinji, her tear-filled eyes calling to mind an abandoned puppy. Like a drowning man grasping at straws, Maina stretched her arms out toward the two. “Waah!! D-don’t come near me! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!”
Shinji turned and ran. The vicious murderer who had strangled two girls ran away without hesitation.
“……Aah.” Maina suddenly stopped moving. Her body even ceased shaking. Only her eyes, overflowing with tears and open as wide as possible, were trembling.
“M-Maina…?”
“…For once, it was good that they had the wrong impression of me.” Kyousuke had been about to speak up, when Maina began to mumble faintly. Teardrops fell onto her cheeks, distorted with self-deprecating laughter. “Everyone around me is a murderer or worse, and I feared them, avoided them, hated them… I’m an idiot. I felt that way even though I myself am an accomplished murderer. Even though I’m the very kind of person who should be feared, avoided, hated… I really am an idiot. No matter how much time passes, this is what I am, what I will always be…”
“H-hey…are you okay? First of all, calm dow—”
“Don’t come near meeeeee!!” As soon as Kyousuke began moving toward her, Maina raised her voice in a shout. Shutting her eyes and holding her head, she seemed weak, about to crumble.
“Please don’t come near me…I don’t want to hurt anyone else…I don’t want to lose anyone else. More than enough people have died because of my clumsiness…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry I was ever born…” She lapsed into tears.
“…Hey, you bastards. Are you ready for your trip to hell?”
A few minutes had passed, and Kyousuke was worrying over whether he should say something to Maina, who had so far shown no signs of crying herself out, when the last voice he ever wanted to hear echoed loudly through the hallway. Maina had her face covered with both hands, but her body shuddered.
“…Five. Do you know what that number means? It’s the number of times in the last two days that I’ve had to really discipline someone. Now, that was mostly that annoying Mohawk, but…I swear, you all are giving me so much trouble! How far will you have to push me before you’re satisfied? Huh?!”
“No, miss, that’s not it!” Kyousuke answered in a rush. “This is—” Just as he was about to look back at the scene behind him, something bright red brushed against his cheek.
Whatever it was that Kurumiya had lobbed at him with one hand, it traced a gentle parabola—passing in front of Maina, and between Oonogi and Usami, before it landed with a thud.
It was a young man, covered in blood from head to toe.
It was Shinji “reformed” and almost unrecognizable.
“……Wha—? Ah… E-eeeeeek!!” Catching a glimpse of Shinji’s battered form was enough to send Maina into a full-speed retreat. Scooting back across the floor, she slid past Kyousuke in an instant.
“Hey, stop right there. Where are you going? You can’t escape!” Kurumiya shouted after her.
“Eeek!! S-ssssososo-sowwyyy!!” As Maina tried to slip past her evil teacher, Kurumiya caught her by the scruff of the neck and hoisted her upward. In her other hand she held the blood-soaked iron pipe.
“Eeek!! Forgibe me! F-forgi— Waaaaaahhh!!” Maina, now in a complete panic, thrashed her dainty arms and legs, struggling for dear life.
“—Shut up!” Kurumiya roared, a bloodthirsty expression painted across her face. “Do you want me to XXX you in your XXX?” She readied the iron pipe, and Maina instantly quieted down, dangling like a dead fish with a blank look in her eyes.
Murderer in the Flower of Death Page 8