Murderer in the Flower of Death (15 page)

“……Ren…ko?”

It was several days after the big uproar in the cafeteria—during the second-period break. Kyousuke mumbled in amazement before Renko, who was completely changed. Maina gasped sharply, and Eiri bit her lip silently.

“Who the hell would do something like this…? Too cruel…”

She was in an indescribably gruesome condition.

As if the gas mask itself hadn’t been enough, now
graffiti
was scribbled all over the surface.

“Ugly,” “BITCH” “dirty cocktease sow,” “I’m a slut,” “rape me,” “cow,” “pull ’em down!” “fake tits,” “die,” “die,” “die,” “die of heatstroke,” and so on.

Written in multicolored ink, the words collectively illustrated the spite, hostility, and murderous desires of the writers. The black surface was almost completely covered.

She didn’t have any obvious wounds, but the graffiti alone was more than enough to showcase the malice and viciousness of her assailants and made Kyousuke and the others shudder. They took it as a warning—or maybe a threat.

Sitting at the center of their small group, Renko raised a hand. “
Kksshh…
Ahh, I was so surprised! When I woke up, there were girls surrounding my chair. They all really looked like they were out for blood…I guess there had been some kind of trouble while I was dozed off in my seat. I asked them what happened, but they just yelled back at me, ‘Don’t start acting up now!’ and ‘Frigid bitch!’ and other mean stuff.”

“…Th-that must have been terrible.”

Those girls must have misunderstood and thought that they were being ignored, never imagining that Renko had slept through the whole process. Most people would expect that if someone wearing a gas mask was sitting upright normally, then they would be awake like a normal person.

“And then the strange reactions started in first period, when the teacher looked at my face and asked, ‘…What is that?’ and then when I answered, ‘It’s a fashion statement,’ he made a strange face and went silent.
…Huh?
I thought, and then after that, everyone asked me about it, but I didn’t really know what to say. Is my mask really that strange?”

With her head tilted to the side, Renko’s voice was utterly free of worry. It was like she had no grasp on her situation. Was it innocence or defenselessness…? She really had her own way of doing things.

Bewildered and amazed by this quality of hers, Kyousuke took a more direct approach. “Renko…your mask is covered with graffiti!”

“Wh-wwwh-what did you saaaaaayy?! Who the hell…when did they…?!” Bending backward, Renko’s whole body shook with surprise.

“…It’s obvious,” Eiri spat in an irritated tone. “It was the girls who crowded around you. They spoke to you but you didn’t reply, so they
harrassed you, clearly. What miserable jerks…they’d be better off dead.”

“Right, that’s right, it’s cruel!” added Maina. “How pitiful Renko looks…with all these mean things written on her. We’d better clean her up quickly…yep, yep.” She stood from her chair and wiped vigorously at Renko’s mask with her handkerchief to absolutely no effect.

Renko patted the smaller girl’s head affectionately. “Okay, thanks Maina. But don’t worry about it. I’ll be sure to get it all off during the next break. By the way, what kinds of things are written on it? ‘Beautiful breasts, beautiful girl,’ and so on?”

“Uh, no…more like ‘witch tits, pervert girl’ and ‘poison boobs, pervert girl’ and ‘evil breasts, pervert girl’ and so on.”

“Ehh?! But I told them I’m not a pervert! I don’t even know what they mean with ‘poison’ and ‘evil’! It doesn’t even make sense! Those totally aren’t even insults!”

“They totally are,” Eiri replied.

“…They’re graffiti, so I think they must be,” Kyousuke answered simultaneously.
She has absolutely no sense of danger…
Renko didn’t seem to have any idea how other people felt about her.

Sure enough, she folded her arms quizzically. “Anyway, why would I have such a thing done to me all of a sudden, I wonder?” she pouted. “And furthermore, the perpetrators were all girls. Could they be jealous of my beautiful face and boobs? Like Eiri,
kksshh
,” she continued, oblivious.

Eiri’s eyebrows twitched sharply. She glared at the graffiti-covered mask. “…Huh? That’s not it at all, ‘dumbass girl.’ Is ‘the inside of your head hollow’ because you only take nutrition from ‘dead breasts’? ‘Die,’ ‘die die,’ ‘die from respiratory distress.’”

“Whaaaaaat?! Saying such demeaning stuff is cruel…so cruel…”

“She’s right! Stop it, Eiri!” Maina reproached, stepping between them. “Renko’s the one who got hurt, and yet…”

Perhaps because Maina had taken Renko’s side, Eiri frowned sullenly. “…Whatever. I was just reading the graffiti. Anyway, she’s not actually hurt…but…Renko, you’re still laughing like an idiot. Surely your bloodlust must be practically boiling…” She clearly meant to agitate Renko, who had maintained her easygoing attitude.

Renko placed an index finger on her chin. “Let me see…,” she
pondered aloud. “It is absolutely, no way, not even a little bit close to boiling! Actually, I think it’s kind of cute, like a collection of autographs, don’t you think?
Kksshh.
It’s too bad I can’t see it myself, but…tell me, what other kinds of things are written on there? They went to all the trouble, so tell me!”

“……”

Kyousuke, Eiri, and Maina all stared in amazement at Renko’s simplemindedness, all wearing the same expressions of disbelief.

Did Renko really ever kill anybody?
they all pondered. Renko seemed like a harmless lump, who didn’t mind no matter what was done to her. She didn’t seem to be the slightest bit evil.

Or perhaps, she might be intentionally hiding her own insanity.

I don’t know what to think. This ugly, graffiti-covered mask hides Renko’s interior self along with her face…
A kernel of fear had nevertheless taken hold in Kyousuke’s mind. She was surely hiding something behind that mask and those mannerisms…

“Come on, you guys! Don’t keep quiet, tell me. You’ve come to fancy the mask like this, to the point where you can’t bear to leave for your next class, is that it? Come on, get a good look!”

For her part, Renko seemed entirely unconcerned with what Kyousuke might be thinking. She pulled back the hood of her sweatshirt and turned her head, pointing to the sides of the gas mask, which until now had been obscured.

The mask was the sort that only covered the front of the face, and now that he could see it clearly, Kyousuke was surprised by how unexpectedly small it was. A large pair of clunky black headphones covered her ears; the rest was uncovered. Long bluish-silver hair spilled out from between the black bands that secured the mask to her face.

As he studied the gas mask, a certain piece of graffiti caught Kyousuke’s eye. On the right cheek of the mask, just to the side of the headphones, written in pink fluorescent paint:

It was a note specifically calling Kyousuke out. It read a lot like the other love letters he’d been receiving, though this was the first one that had ended with such an overt threat. Perhaps because of the grimace that had crept across his face, Eiri looked at Kyousuke with puzzled eyes.

“…What is it, Kyousuke?”

“Hmm? Ah, no…nothing. It’s nothing at all. Ha-ha-ha…” Kyousuke tried to hide his fear and anxiety behind a disarming smile as his thoughts raced.

If he ignored the invitation, Renko would be put in danger. On the other hand, this might be a chance for Kyousuke and the others to expose whatever it was that Renko was hiding…

If she was actually an insane killer, then putting her in a life-or-death situation would surely reveal her true nature.

What should I do…ignore it? There doesn’t seem to be any harm in doing that for now…

In previous instances when he had been called out, his own life had been at stake if he didn’t accept the challenge. Rather than deal with the hassle of repeated, frenzied ambushes, Kyousuke had tried to face each one openly, preferring quick resolutions.

However, this time he didn’t have that option.

If he ignored this invitation, Renko would be the one facing trouble, not him, and whatever she was hiding would surely be revealed—two birds with one stone. However…

“Come on! Quit holding out on me!” Renko whined. “It’s too mean! I don’t mind that I was graffitied by people I don’t know, but…if I’m ignored by my friends, I’m gonna get angry, too!” Pulling her hood back into its usual position, Renko laughed.
“Kksshh!”

Kyousuke looked at Renko, wondering how she could stay so mysterious.
If, against the odds, this affable, simpleminded girl is not hiding anything after all…and I got her into trouble that got her killed…? Would that be any different than if I were to kill Renko myself?

I’d be just the same as the rest of these bastards. No different.
The murderers that Kyousuke hated and scorned—
That’s right…what the hell was I thinking? There’s only one answer.

“……”

Eiri’s gaze bored straight through Kyousuke, as if she had something
to say, while he made a fist beneath his desk. However, she only glared and said nothing.

“Huh…nobody’s here. Am I early?”

It was the agreed-upon hour. Kyousuke, who made his way to the back of the gym, surveyed his deserted surroundings and scratched the back of his head. Nestled between the wall of the building and a tall grove of trees, this place was dim and gloomy even in the afternoon.

He’d been called out here before a number of times, but this was his first time here alone. Renko and the others, who had surreptitiously watched over him before, were far away in the cafeteria now.

Dodging them with a made-up errand to take care of, Kyousuke had slipped off alone. That meant that even in a worst-case scenario, he could not expect any help to come…

“Ah, shit…I’m scared. She’s late…really, don’t play around with me like this.”

His pulse beat quickly with extreme anxiety and tension.

His clenched fists were sweaty in his pockets.

And then…

“Well, hello there. My apologies for making you wait.”

From behind him came a
male
voice that Kyousuke instantly recognized.

“……?!”

Stepping out from the shadow of the building, waving his hand in greeting as he approached, was a fair-skinned, beautiful, brown-haired boy.

Most of his bandages had been removed, but he was still a pitiful sight, with big gauze pads and plasters stuck all over his face and arms. Despite his battered condition, the boy’s expression was cheerful.

Kyousuke’s bad hunch turned into chills, creeping up his spine.

“…Shinji? Why are you—” Before he could finish his question, a group of students appeared behind Shinji, following him out of the shadow of the building.

One, two, three, four…including Shinji, there were six altogether. All of them were boys and probably all first-year students, too; he remembered catching sight of these faces in the classrooms and hallways of their school building.

And that wasn’t all. From the shadows on the opposite side, yet more boys appeared, cutting off Kyousuke’s escape route. This group, too, was exactly six people—at its head stood Oonogi and Usami. Every one of them glared at Kyousuke like they might pounce at any moment.

Shinji shrugged and stuck out his tongue like he was trying to make a joke. “Ah, perhaps, could you already be promised to someone? My apologies…heh-heh-heh. But I’m pleased, Mr. Kamiya. You came alone exactly as requested. As you might expect, guys like us don’t much fancy the thought of taking on all of your dangerous little group at once, you see.”

“…Ah, is that it? I see.”

Standing in front of Shinji, who was grinning from ear to ear, Kyousuke realized—he had been set up. Shinji had no doubt asked a friend in Class B to write the note calling him out, in order to lure him out here for an ambush. And he’d walked right into it…

If I screw this up, I’ll probably be killed. Th-this is bad!! This is checkmate…my whole life is probably in checkmate!! Hey, come on, what do we do? What do we do, Kyousuke?! Think!
Even as he maintained his outward composure, Kyousuke’s mind was on the verge of panic.