“Kamiya, I, well… The fact that you killed twelve people, it makes you very…”
School was out. Behind the deserted gymnasium, Kyousuke found himself face-to-face with a female student. Her snow-white skin contrasted beautifully with her glamorous black hair. This second-year girl, his senior, had both hands clasped behind her back and was rocking back and forth bashfully.
She gazed at Kyousuke with upturned eyes, bordered by long eyelashes, and took a deep breath, as if to steady her resolve. Her face was as red as an apple. “I really like you! So, please, go…uh…please go out with me!” Her words burst with hidden feelings.
She thrust out a survival knife that she’d been keeping hidden behind her back. Her aim was for Kyousuke’s throat. “Waaah! S-sorry!”
A knife. Narrowly evading the surprise attack, he sunk a fist into the pit of her stomach. With an “oof” and a puff of hot breath, and a blissful expression painted across her face, the upperclassmen crumpled over. Catching her collapsing body before she could fall, Kyousuke wiped away the cold sweat that had begun to collect on his forehead.
That was really dangerous, just now. I was careless because she was an upperclassman. I thought the second-years were supposed to be more rehabilitated. So why did she have a knife…?
“…Huh? Did you turn down another one? This one’s a real beauty, though.” As Kyousuke laid the unconscious upperclassman down on the ground, Renko stepped out of the shadows of the gymnasium.
A moment later, Eiri and Maina also appeared. Eiri stifled a yawn, while Maina said, “Kyousuke, you’re really popular. Amazing!” and clapped her hands in applause.
Kyousuke sighed deeply and stood. “Eh, I go for personality over looks…and it’s not like I’m happy just being popular among the weirdos, you know.” Three days had passed since the incident in the hall—and every day since, Kyousuke had been getting these bizarre love confessions.
In total, ten girls had approached him. At more than three per day, it was the start of a true era of romantic popularity for him. Of course, as they were a bunch of murderers, their methods of confession were nothing if not eccentric.
“I want to know ‘everything’ about you, Mr. Kamiya!” he heard, as he was nearly dissected.
“I’ll devour you, Kyousuke…I’ll become one with you,” he heard, as he was tackled by a girl with coal-black eyes.
“I want to turn you into furniture and do some interior decorating,” he heard, receiving a cryptic come-on from a girl with a saw in her hand.
And if he wasn’t dealing with some bizarre confession of love, he was running around in fear of certain death at the furious hands of Bob, who, bawling with the shock of rejection, had transformed into an uncontrollable human juggernaut and destroyed a section of one of the school buildings. That alone was enough to drive him to the brink.
The fact that Renko and the others appeared for the confessions acted as a kind of insurance against any worst-case scenarios. He hadn’t needed their help yet, but it was surely just a matter of time. “There’s no way I can keep this up…I’m really gonna die!” Exhausted in mind and body, Kyousuke hung his head, racking his brain in search of a plan.
With a “hmm,” Renko folded her arms and put her index finger to her cheek. “All kinds of girls are throwing themselves at you, aren’t they…? It’s pushing your mental limits more than your physical. You can’t help being so popular…but how can we help you…? Oh, I know!” Struck with inspiration, she clapped her hands together tightly. “They’re all confessing their love to you because you’re still single! Supposing you were to get a girlfriend, the confessions would stop! …Right? Don’t you think that’s a great idea? Kksshh.”
“No, no, that’s impossible,” he replied. “I don’t have anyone.” The only people he knew would go out with him if he asked also posed a serious threat to his life.
“Hmm? Sure you do, Kyousuke. You’ve got high-quality girlfriend candidates right here…three of us!” Turning, Renko opened her arms wide to encompass Eiri and Maina.
Hearing this, Eiri immediately shut her down. “…Huh? No way.”
Maina looked down in embarrassment. “Eeh?! K-Kyousuke’s girlfriend?! That’s totally impossible… Um, how do I say, well… Sorry!”
Kyousuke hadn’t even expressed interest, and he was still being rejected. “C’mon, Renko, you’re making things weird. Lay off, huh?” He wouldn’t call the atmosphere “crushing,” but it was pretty oppressive.
After all, Eiri and Maina were both really beautiful, and he had thought that they had become close in their own way over the past few days, but what was with those knee-jerk responses? It felt like instant death.
Renko nodded with a “kksshh” at Kyousuke’s hurt feelings. “Well. Okay, then, it’s settled! Go out with me, Kyousuke.”
“I’ll pass.”
“—”
“Ah, wait…I-I mean, look! I can’t see your face for the gas mask. I think you’re easy to get along with and interesting and all, but dating someone whose face you can’t see would be…I mean…” Looking as she did, it was more than a little scary when she went totally silent like this, because her changes in expression were impossible to read.
Renko huffed, “Kksshh…,” at Kyousuke, who could barely contain spasms of laughter. “Didn’t you just say that personality is more important than looks? Was that a lie?”
“Um, it wasn’t a lie, but…there’s a limit, you know? With someone who wears a gas mask twenty-four seven, there’s got to be something up with them, right? I mean, that’s pretty suspicious…?”
“Mean…!! You’re mean, Kyousuke! Too mean! And I believed you when you said that… But you’re the kind of person who picks his girlfriend based on her pretty face, aren’t you? And they say as long as your boobs are big, you’re good. I believed you!”
Yelling at him in her characteristically willful way, Renko flew at Kyousuke. As a matter of course, her abundant breasts pressed against his chest. Feeling that supple softness, Kyousuke couldn’t bear it anymore and cried out.
“Hey! Stupid…back off! Stop touching me!”
“No way! I’ll never, never, never separate from you! Kksshh! Kksshh!”
“Don’t throw a tantrum! And don’t play with your chest like that! If you move them around so v-vigorously, then…”
Whether accidentally or on purpose, as Renko was twisting around going, “No way, no way,” her boobs rubbed back and forth against Kyousuke with a delightful squish. Even with the gas mask smacking him in the head, it was an experience of pure bliss.
Before he knew it, Kyousuke had abandoned all attempts at resistance. Who cares if she has a gas mask…?
“…Tch.” A sharp click of the tongue interrupted his thoughts, and when he looked, Kyousuke saw Eiri glaring the two of them down with bloodthirsty eyes.
Maina, meanwhile had both cheeks in her hands and was blushing. “That’s too bold, Renko…”
Having come to his senses, Kyousuke hurriedly put his hands on Renko’s shoulders and tried to peel her away. “H-hey…get off me, Tits McMask! Stop trying to make out with me! Eiri and Maina are watching, you know! Think a little bit about how this looks—”
“That’s the point, Kyousuke!” Renko cried out as she was pushed away. “That’s the plan!”
Kyousuke gaped blankly at her sudden response. “…Huh? The plan? What plan? …What are you talking about?”
“It’s my confession, my confession of love! I thought this would be the best method for stopping the rush of admirers coming after you.”
“Seriously?! …What is that gonna do?”
Renko laughed at Kyousuke with a “kksshh.” “It’ll definitely be fun to find out, eh! Good things are sure to happen, so just relax. I’m trying to put an end to your days of perilous danger! Kksshh!” She punctuated her bold declaration by thrusting her magnificent chest out with pride.
The eyeholes of her gas mask gleamed brightly. Faced with an unusually trustworthy-seemin
g ally, Kyousuke regained some of his faded vitality. “What incredible cleava— I mean, confidence. I’m counting on you, Renko!”
“…I was an idiot to count on you.”
It was lunchtime, Monday, after the weekend break. Seated in the cafeteria, Kyousuke had already sunk into a deep despair. He looked dejectedly at the spoon that was being fed to him, carrying a scoop of the “daily special garbage omelet rice.”
Renko, who was seated next to him, grasping his arm in one hand and trying to make him eat the omelet rice with the other, let out a “kksshh” and lowered the spoon regretfully. “What’s the matter, Kyousuke? You’re not really getting into it. Let’s be more flirty!”
Following her own suggestion, Renko pulled his arm closer to her and cuddled up to Kyousuke. The sweet shampoo scent wafted from everywhere on her soft body, strong enough to make him dizzy.
“……”
If it hadn’t been for the glint of the gas mask in the corner of his eye, he would likely have long ago lost all sense of reason.
Since she had first met up with him at the start of the lunch period, Renko had fawned over him beyond excessively. It’s like she’s showing off for the people around us.
“…Say, Renko. I don’t think any other girls are going to come near me with you hanging on me like this, but… Isn’t there anything else we could try? Like this, it looks like we’re dating.”
“Right, that’s the point. That’s the strategy here. It’s operation ‘hang on each other in public and make everyone think we’re dating’! It’s not like we’re really going out, so it should be fine, right?”
“Well, I guess so, yeah. But how do I say this…” Going out with a mysterious girl in a gas mask— He didn’t want to be misunderstood, but there was really no way to talk about it without making things awkward.
“…You don’t want to be thought of as someone who’s dating a mysterious pervert in a gas mask, is that it?” Eiri interjected from across the table, casually speaking his inner thoughts aloud. “If I were you, Kyousuke, I would think it was disagreeable, too. It would make me question my tastes.”
Renko seemed shocked at her complete lack of tact. “What?! I am not a pervert! You’re misunderstanding! Can’t you see the purity in my eyes?!”
“…No, I can’t. I can’t see them. Anyway, you are a pervert. Aren’t you embarrassed to be rubbing and rubbing and rubbing all over him like that? …Look at Maina.”
“……Uggh.” Curling her small body into a ball and looking downward, Maina looked extremely embarrassed. As if to avert her attention from Kyousuke and the others, she was staring at her meal as hard as she could.
“…In the first place, you’re way too worried about this!” Eiri continued. “The confessions of fangirls are going to slow down before too long anyway, so isn’t it best just to leave well enough alone? I think provoking them in such a clumsy way will only backfire.” Finishing up with a snort, “…Hmph,” Eiri returned to her “daily special garbage pasta.”
Perhaps agreeing with her assessment, Renko pulled away from Kyousuke, nodding enthusiastically. “Is that so? Well, I understand completely! In other words, what Eiri here is trying to say is: ‘You’re asking for it by cuddling up to him right in front of my eyes! You’re doing it even though you know I want to make out with Kyousuke, too!’”
“Wha—?!” Eiri choked on her pasta.
“Huh?! Eiri, are you okaaayyy? Waaahhh!” Maina stopped eating and began to frantically rub Eiri’s back.
Tears welled up in the corners of Eiri’s narrow eyes as she glared at Renko. “Why the hell would you say that?! Are you an idiot? Are you gonna die? Do you want to die?!”
“Huh…but didn’t you say it yourself, Eiri?” Renko answered. “You said, ‘Don’t provoke me.’”
“I never said that! And besides, don’t go imitating me. It’s annoying.”
“…‘I wasn’t, but whatever.’”
“Huh?! Did I not just tell you not to imitate me?! That doesn’t even sound like me!”
“‘Tiny boobs are a status symbol. They have scarcity value. Not that I care about that. Piss off and die.’” Renko was trying hard to push all of Eiri’s buttons.
“You…you’re so annoying! Shut uuuuuup! I’ll obliterate you!!” Her voice had reached a falsetto pitch. Standing and leaning forward, Eiri was practically shouting. Her eyes, usually distant and calm, were now open wide, and her cheeks flushed a deep vermillion.
“Waaaaaahh, Eiri’s mad!!” Renko cried. “Help me, Kyousuke! I’ll be killed!” She flew at him energetically, the front of her gas mask impacting the bridge of his nose with a konk. Her boobs squished up against him in two soft bulges.
“Oww!! Hey, don’t cling to me, Renko! Don’t drag me into this! ”
Eiri’s wide eyes seized on Kyousuke, who was doing his best to tear Renko off of him. Her eyebrows, raised high in anger, twitched and spasmed. “…You say that, but at the same time you’re excited, aren’t you, you sex fiend?! Pervert.”
“Wha—? What are you saying?”
“Your nose is bleeding,” Maina offered. “Blood is gushing out of your nose, Kyousuke.”
“……Huh?” He raised a hand to his face and came away with bright red blood coating his fingers. “Wh-what the hell is thiiiss?! Wait, this is because Renko’s mask hit me—”
“It’s because her boobs hit you!” Eiri accused. “How dare you get so excited just from some boobs… I don’t understand. They’re just lumps of fat. They’re chub rolls. …Hmph.”
“Eiri, you don’t have any boobs, do you?” Maina asked.
“—”
“Aaaaaahhh!! S-sss-ssorry! I’ve always really liked you, Eiri, so… Waaahh!”
Perhaps because there was no way she could believe that Maina had said such a thing, Eiri placed both hands on the table and hung her head, chewing her lower lip hard. Her slim shoulders trembled with a slight, rapid motion.
Renko laughed in satisfaction with a “kksshh” and finally let go of Kyousuke. “Well, then, it looks like I win this round, hmm? I think there are also boys who prefer them small, so there’s no need for you to take it too seriously! It looks like Kyousuke likes them big, though. It looks like Kyousuke likes them big, though! …Are you crying over my boobs, Eiri?”
Repeating herself for some reason, Renko petted Eiri’s head comfortingly.
Eiri’s trembling suddenly stopped. She slowly lifted her bloodthirsty eyes.
“I won’t ever…I’ll never give in to you, stupiiiiiidd!” She swung her right fist at Renko in an aimless arc.
Renko quickly pulled her arm back in surprise and bent backward. “Wh-wwwh-what are you doing, Eiri? That’s dangerous, you know!!”
That was close. Her hand almost struck home.
Even as she appeared to falter from Renko’s overreaction, Eiri immediately furrowed her brow in displeasure. “Sh-shut up! You’re just getting what you deserve!! Whenever you open your mouth, it’s ‘boobies, boobies’… It’s so annoying! And what’s up with that mask, anyway? Is it from Slipot? A Screang Mad George creation? Either way…it’s so bad that it makes me doubt your sanity, to say nothing of your fashion sense.”
“What did you say?!” Renko slapped the table and leaned forward. “Don’t you make fun of them…I can’t forgive those comments! I’ll show you how a headbanger throws down in the mosh pit!!”
The air between them crackled with electric tension.
“…Hmph. If you think you can kill me, go ahead and try! I’ll beat you at your own game.”
“Ha! Would that be your revenge for earlier?” Renko taunted. “When it comes to breasts, there’s no doubt I reign supreme! Kksshh.”
“You…!” Eiri was almost too angry for words. “Well, I win in every other category, then! Do you even have any appeal aside from your chest?”
“Of course I do! I have big, beautiful double-lidded eyes and full, sexy lips and—”
“Huh? I told you, we can’t see any of that
for your mask. Don’t repeat the same lame gag,” Eiri scoffed. “And anyway…” Just then, the corners of her mouth turned down as she faced Kyousuke.
“Huh…?” Kyousuke answered around the napkin that Maina had helpfully used to plug his bleeding nose.
“…What are you two flirting for?” Eiri demanded, glaring at Kyousuke and Maina. “Are you trying to pick a fight?”
“Right, right, isn’t it just too cruel! While Eiri and I were competing for your attention…th-this…this man stealer! This is cheating!” Renko’s wailing reverberated through the cafeteria as she beat her hands against the table again and again.
Eiri’s expression grew even more sullen. “…Huh? I am not competing,” she grumbled.
The alleged man stealer, Maina, looked back and forth between Renko and Eiri in astonishment. “Waahh…I’m, I’m sorry! I h-had n-nnn-no intention of…waahh!”
“Hey, all of you! Calm down, okay?!” Kyousuke interrupted. “At least, dial down the volume a little—” It took a moment for Kyousuke to notice the many pairs of staring eyes fixed intently on the four of them. The girls in particular eyed them with dangerous glares. The emotions in their eyes were dark.
Envy. And hatred was there, too. The longing and desire that had been directed at Kyousuke so far had been completely flipped on its head.
Of course, Renko and the others were the cause. From a third-party perspective, this spectacle of three girls quarreling, with Kyousuke at the center of it all, must have been an absolute scene of carnage. It could not have felt very good to watch.
A great number of ominous voices came flying into Kyousuke’s ears, as an unpleasant sweat began to flow.
“Eeee! Those bitches are trying to snatch away darling Kyousuke(’s life) without me!”
“Four people, huh? I wonder if I can finish such a big meal? I’ll rooaast ’em, and steeaam ’em, annnd fryyy ’em, and booiil ’em…”
“I’m disappointed in you, Kyousuke. Fine, then. I will destroy you. If I can’t have you, I will see to it you are completely destroyed.”
Murderer in the Flower of Death Page 12