Murder Princess and the Summer Death Camp

by Mizuki Mizushiro

Maina sighed, exhausted. “Phew…th-thank goodness.”

  Eiri glared at Renko. “…She should still just go die.”

  “I’m…I’m saved…?” Shamaya muttered, before crumpling to the ground and losing consciousness.

  “Hey…why do I have to carry her?”

  They were on the return path, where the faint moonlight and shadows of trees were interwoven overhead. Carrying the soundly sleeping Shamaya on her back, Renko sighed. “Kksshh…”

  “…Process of elimination, duh. Maina and I are helpless girls, and you rejected the idea of Kyousuke giving her a ride, didn’t you? Plus, I believe it was your fault that she fainted in the first place.” Walking next to Renko, Eiri let out a bored yawn. “…Fwah.”

  Renko, her gas mask reengaged, let out another big sigh. “Kksshh… Well, I guess that’s true. But she’s too heavy, and she stinks of perfume, and it’s irritating to have her pointlessly big breasts touching me… Later, let’s secretly dump her somewhere she won’t be found, okay? Also, Eiri, while I have my limiter on, I’m a helpless girl just like you two!”

  “…Helpless? Are you sure you don’t mean shameless? And how can you diss her huge breasts, what with your enormous boobs? If we’re going to dump her, first you should throw away all that annoying extra eyesore blubber attached to your own chest,” Eiri cursed in irritation, turning her face away. However, her expression was still visible to Kyousuke and Maina, walking behind them: Her mouth was smiling broadly, perhaps because both she and Renko had somehow come out of that situation safely.

  Looking at the two of them making a racket as usual, Kyousuke smiled. “Such good friends that they’re always fighting… That’s how they are, huh? Well, they make a good pair.”

  “Ah-ha-ha! You’re right, they’re really great best friends. Really great—” Maina laughed, dazzled at Eiri and Renko’s exchange, which was like a two-person comedy act. In her eyes was a mixture of longing and loneliness.

  Kyousuke was searching for the right words, when—

  “……I really hate myself.”

  Gazing down at her feet, Maina muttered to herself, voice brimming with loathing. “I’m foolish, and dull, and I can’t get the hang of things, and I’m awkward, and I’m timid, and I’m negative… When I think about myself, I can only think of weaknesses. No matter what I do, it doesn’t go well, and the more I try to do my best, the more trouble I cause… I’m a bad person, and I’m connected to bad people. It was also true that time—” Maina’s fists were clenched, her voice filled with a mixture of sorrow and regret.

  As she recalled her painful memories, Maina continued, almost confessional. “The box lunch that I made to make him happy killed him. And not only him. Many of my classmates were caught up in it… If I hadn’t tried so hard, I don’t think such a thing would have ever happened. If I never existed, I bet the people around me would never get hurt. Many, many times I have considered suicide, but…

  “Each time, I remember…” A slight smile came over her bitter expression. “After causing so much destruction with my terrible clumsiness, I returned to my senses, and when I rushed over to where he was…he was still barely alive. I went into a total panic, bawling and screaming, when he…he smiled at me. He forced his agonized face to smile as if to set me at ease—he said, ‘It was delicious, thank you.’ Those were the words that I had always wanted to hear since I first made that lunch…and they were his last words.

  “I thought it had to be a trick! I thought the lunch was truly bad enough to kill. But, since he said such a thing…since he smiled at me…I resolved to never give up on doing my best. I resolved to never give up on living! Even if that meant continuing to be a danger to those around me, no matter how hard it got…I decided to live the best that I could, and continue atoning for my sins.”

  Maina’s face still looked pained, but her eyes stared straight ahead. “This academy is not a place of atonement—that was a shock, but…even so, I absolutely will not yield! I’m of the same spirit as you, Kyousuke—without killing anyone, I want to try to survive!” Maina clenched a fist in front of her chest enthusiastically.

  As a matter of fact, the reason that Kyousuke and the others had not openly told Maina about the true nature of the academy was not only because they had been sworn to secrecy by Kurumiya. They also had apprehensions about Maina being overwhelmed if she learned the truth, and losing the will to live. However, Maina was…

  “—Maina, you’re so strong!”

  “…Eh?”

  “You’re strong, Maina… Ordinarily, if someone tried that hard only to fail, they’d probably give up. That’s easier, and doesn’t cause trouble for anyone else. But you’re not like that. You, like everyone around you, have chosen a difficult path. Whether that choice was correct or a mistake isn’t clear to me, either. I think you’re strong for choosing such a path of your own free will. You’re incredibly earnest, and try with all your might… That’s why I want to support you.” Kyousuke’s voice was confident and clear.

  “Eh?! No way… S-someone like me…? Oh dear…”

  Maina was flustered, but Kyousuke continued. “And it’s not just me! Eiri and Renko, too…probably even the boy who ate your boxed lunch thought so, too. Certainly, you have your weak points and flaws. But you also have strong points and advantages that contradict them. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be able to smile in the face of all this death.”

  “Kyousuke…”

  “I’m sorry for keeping the stuff about the academy a secret until now, okay? You’re a much stronger and more graceful person than we thought, Maina. So, it’s all right—that boy smiled at you; your feelings definitely got through to him. I guarantee it. No matter how clumsy you are.”

  “……?!”

  Opening her flax-colored eyes wide, Maina looked up at Kyousuke. She stopped walking, and stood with a vacant expression.

  “…Huh? What happened, you two? Why are you standing still over there?”

  “Oh dear! It’s n-nnnn-nothing!” Maina jumped as Renko called out to her. Her flustered face was flushed bright red. “Ah, um…twuly, id’s nuffing! Oh dear.” Shaking her head, she ran after Renko and Eiri, who were now some distance away.

  “Whooooooaaaaaa!”

  —She fell flat.

  “Ah…” Renko and Eiri both let out a sigh.

  Kyousuke smiled at this expected conclusion and deliberately extended a hand. “…If I help you out like this, it’s a little bit easier, right? I’m going to try hard, too, so that I can be helpful to you, who tries so hard, so take my hand. Let’s always rise after a fall.”

  “Ah…o-okay! Th-thank you…Kyousuke.” Timidly, she grasped the hand he was offering, and Maina’s face grew even redder. Hanging her head like she was trying to escape notice, she spoke hesitantly:

  “Renko, Eiri…would it be all right if I did my best from here on out, too?”

  Kyousuke tilted his head in confusion at Maina’s question. “Try your best…? Maina, you’re already doing that, aren’t you? Why are you asking the two of them?”

  “Ehh?! Ah…n-no reason! What I said just now, that’s not what I meant; I was talking to myself… It was n-nothing! Don’t pay any attention to me!” Frantically shaking her head, Maina started walking again. Still gripping Kyousuke’s hand tightly, she charged forward at a quick pace.

  Kyousuke looked perplexed. “Huh? H-hey…! What’s with you all of a sudden—?”

  Maina was unusually tense. “I told you, it’s nothing! Id-id’s nuffing, I seddd!”

  Seeing the two of them walking hand in hand, Renko held her forehead. “Kksshh…oh man, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a new rival in love, huh, Eiri?”

  “…Huh?” Eiri glared at Renko’s gas mask. “What was that? I don’t understand what you mean… I don’t have any particular interest in such a womanizing, lecherous creep. So what if he’s willfully snatched away? Just, well…” Eiri’s angry, half-lidded eyes bored holes in Renko’s back. “…If there was only one,
that would be good.”

  Shamaya, her handsome face limply relaxed beneath long eyelashes, began talking in her sleep in a coaxing, fawning voice.

  “Wow…how wonderful…it’s so lovely…Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho…”

  “It’s—it’s oooverrr…!”

  Kyousuke stretched wearily as he walked along the path leading from the gymnasium to the student dorms. The two-night three-day prison camping trip had come to a close not long ago, at 7:00 PM. The freshmen students had gathered in the gymnasium as they arrived, and a simple closing ceremony had been conducted by the faculty and members of the Public Morals Committee immediately thereafter.

  Walking through the campus beneath the illumination of mercury lamps, Maina sighed. “Phew, I’m tired… That was an awfully harsh camping trip.”

  “……Fwah, I’m sleepy.”

  After the incident in the woods, Kyousuke’s group had arrived at the academy before dawn. They had been the earliest of the first-year students to arrive, and they should have taken plenty of time to rest, but—now, half a day later, they had yet to get a single wink of sleep. Dealing with the aftermath of what had happened had been difficult.

  The attack on Kyousuke and the others at the hands of Shamaya, the chair of the Public Morals Committee, had sparked a major uproar. They had been so occupied with the ongoing investigation that, next thing they knew, it had been time for the closing ceremony.

  Combing her hair, which had returned to its silver color now that it was rinsed of blood, Renko laughed. “K-k-kksshh! I’m exhausted, but I definitely had fun! It looks like Bob and Chihiro also made it back safely, which is great, too. With everybody back safe, I consider it case closed.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. In the end, it looks like Shinji and his group didn’t make it in time, though…”

  About half of the first-year students had been able to return within the allotted time. Once the remaining students had been forcibly repatriated by the upperclassmen, they were to be subject to extremely harsh punishment, it seemed. According to the second-and third-year students, this was a special lesson in hunting down escaped prisoners, and their grades would be improved according to the number of students they captured.

  Furthermore, the next day was Monday, but there would be a two-day recess during which classes would be suspended. This meant that while the tardy students were being hunted in the woods, the other students could rest and recuperate at their leisure.

  Heading for the student dorms to rest their exhausted bodies as soon as possible, Kyousuke and the others were able to talk cheerfully about the experience that was behind them now.

  “Everyone, thank you for your efforts on the prison camping trip!”

  In unison, they stopped walking, and turned to look behind them. Under the lamp illuminating the night path, there stood—

  “Th-thank you for your hard work…Miss Shamaya.”

  With an angelic smile on her face, the chair of the Public Morals Committee, Saki Shamaya, was standing there. Her entire body was covered in wounds that were covered in bandages. Her soft, honey-colored hair was frizzy, one of her emerald eyes was covered with a patch, and her uniform was torn to shreds.

  All of which was evidence of discipline at Kurumiya’s hand. Even at a vocational school for professional murderers, trying to kill one’s fellow students without permission demanded harsh punishment.

  Shamaya, who they had brought along on their return to the academy, had not attended the closing ceremony, and though her expression was sunny, her face, completely covered with scratches and bruises, was painful to look at.

  As Kyousuke and the others stood at a loss for words, Shamaya laughed. “Oh-ho-ho! And I still have a full night of discipline yet before me! But it can’t be helped. After all, I did commit a slight sin… As the chair of the Public Morals Committee, it is nothing less than a shameful disgrace. There is simply no excuse for the trouble that I caused you.” She straightened herself, and bowed apologetically.

  Arms folded, Eiri snorted contemptuously. “Hmph…! Really, you’re a major pain. Thanks to you, we didn’t get to rest at all, or even take a shower! As if we’ll forgive you just because you apologized. What a naive way of—”

  “Well, then, Miss Akabane, what can I do to earn your forgiveness?” In an instant, Shamaya brought herself up close and personal to Eiri.

  “Kyah?!”

  Eiri was taken aback as Shamaya grabbed her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “What might you like me to do for you? Shall I wash your body for you as we shower together? Or perhaps spend a night in the same bed…? Ha-ha!”

  “Huh?! Just a… D-don’t touch me! No to both, you perverted girl!”

  “Oh-ho-ho! You’re so cute when you act tough! I thought that it would grate on my nerves, but now that I know your true face I can see that it’s truly charming! Please put your mind at ease; I won’t reveal your secret to anyone. In exchange, let me hear your XXX voice…ha-ha!”

  “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

  “……”

  It seemed that Shamaya, who was now drooling, had taken quite a liking to Eiri. Whining, Maina tried to stop her. “Oh dear! Miss Shamaya! Y-you can’t…because Eiri is very tired!”

  “Hmm…? Oh my, I beg your pardon. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! I forgot myself just now… But my, you are awfully cute as well, Miss Igarashi! Perhaps because you arouse my protective desires, you stir up feelings that I can’t ignore. Oh-ho-ho! So adorable…”

  “Ehh?!” Maina stiffened in surprise as Shamaya stroked her hair. It seemed that Shamaya had also taken a liking to Maina.

  Renko sighed, looking unconcerned as she watched Shamaya fawn over a flustered Maina right in front of her. “Kksshh…good grief! This is a fine situation, isn’t it? The girl was planning to kill us, but instead it looks like she got her heart killed. Geez, I give up, I give—”

  “Eeeeeeeeeeeekkk!!” Just at the moment when Renko was about to approach, Shamaya toppled over and fell on her backside. Pointing at Renko with a trembling finger, she spoke in a terrified voice. “A g-g-ghost! How horrible! Please, keep away from me! Don’t point your gas mask at me, pleeeaaase!”

  “”

  Apparently Shamaya had developed a deep phobia of Renko.

  “Kksshh! It makes me sick that you think Eiri and Maina are fine, but I’m no good, you know!” It seemed that despite her typically insensitive attitude, Renko had taken offense. “Maybe I should kill you after all, Shamaya dear…? And anyway, where the hell do you think you’re going?!”

  Shamaya, who had moved away from Renko, was trying to hide behind Kyousuke’s back. Seeing her grow more and more angry, Kyousuke attempted to soothe the Amazon. “Now, now… There’s no helping it, right? Anyone would be scared if they were almost killed by someone like you…” He himself had also almost been killed once by Renko, so he knew there was no helping Shamaya’s fear.

  Eiri also seemed to be frightened of Shamaya, and before anyone noticed, she was hiding behind Renko’s back. Equidistant between the two of them, Maina stood, flustered. Looking back and forth between Renko and Shamaya, Kyousuke was getting fed up when—

  “Ohhh, I’m scared…I’m scaaared, Kyousuke daaarlinggg!”

  “Huh?”

  Shamaya, whining like a spoiled child, embraced him from behind.

  Kyousuke and the others stared, wide-eyed.

  “Hey…Miss Shamaya?! What are you doing all of a sudden… Wait. ‘Darling’?”

  What do you mean by “darling”?!

  Shamaya was affectionately rubbing her cheek against the bewildered Kyousuke’s back.

  “Yes, Kyousuke darling! I must say, I was simply enchanted when you risked your life to protect me from certain death. How kind and brave you are! It is as I told you… ‘In their final moments, you can catch a glimpse of a person’s true nature.’ And in that moment, when you stood on the brink of death, the true face that you showed to me was beautiful! And very cool! And what’s more, you are the Warehouse Butche
r, who killed twelve people. You’re the ideal gentleman to be a companion to me, the Murder Princess, who has killed twenty-one people! I want to know you ever so much more deeply… I want you to show me all kinds of faces.”

  “”

  Kyousuke was speechless as Shamaya snuggled up to him with twinkling eyes. He looked around, searching for help.

  “…That’s great, isn’t it, Kyousuke? You’re so popular. Hmph…you should just die, though.”

  “Oh deaaar. Even Miss Shamaya is after Kyousuke…but I won’t lose!”

  “Yep, I’m gonna kill her. I’m definitely gonna kill her. I’m going to ask Kurumiya, and she’s going to let me kill her. She put her hands on my Kyousuke… She must be prepared to die, right? Kksshh.”

  Eiri spit her words in annoyance, and bit her nails.

  Biting her tongue, Maina clenched her fists in front of her chest.

  Gas mask viewports shining, Renko gave off a dangerous aura…

  Feeling Shamaya’s softness against his back, Kyousuke fully broke into a strange sweat.

  With this, I am without a doubt surrounded by enemies on all sides. He looked up at the heavens, hoping to somehow escape the pressure that he did not fully understand, but acutely felt.

  The cloudless, deep blue night sky was completely filled with stars. Kyousuke thought of his beloved younger sister, who was even now awaiting his return.

  Hey, Ayaka…are you getting along well? I’m making it somehow. I’m surrounded by odd people, and occasionally it seems like I’m going to be killed or something, but…even so, I’m definitely coming back home. So wait for me, Ayaka. Be a good girl, okay?

  Though she seemed like the kind of person who always had it together, both at home and outside, Ayaka could be surprisingly jealous. He couldn’t imagine the kind of reaction she’d have if she knew that, right now, he was surrounded by such beautiful girls.

  While Kyousuke was absentmindedly considering such things…

  The first week of May, two months earlier.

  On that day, Ayaka Kamiya was in high spirits.