31: The Original Rules
“What was I talking about again…?”
He must have lost his train of thought due to the shock of earlier. Kouki clutched his head, desperately trying to piece together his memories.
“Let’s see… Oh yeah. I’d gotten as far as the day before I was locked in the cleaning equipment closet.”
“In retrospect, that mysterious declaration of war was you challenging Enka, huh?”
“Of course. That’s why I was prepared for her to attack at any moment. I was planning to strike as soon as I had the chance.”
So that’s what had been going on beneath the surface.
“And then the next day, I was caught off guard and trapped in the cleaning equipment closet by those possessed Airas. My phone was, but that was just a decoy I’d planted.”
That was Enka’s doing too?
“Damn, you’re smart. But you were lucky the security guard found you.”
“That was also part of my plan. I’d given him ‘orders’ to search for me using the GPS I’d hidden if he didn’t hear from me by 7 PM. I should have done it sooner. I almost died .”
“And then you transferred schools. So when did you give me the app?”
“The day before you found it. I gathered the materials, altered the app’s text, and sent it after getting permission for the bunny suit.
I’d initially hidden the app in a hidden file because I didn’t want Enka to find it. If you’d got confused and asked someone for help, it would have been game over. I set it to appear when your level went up.”
“So that’s why I leveled up without realizing it.”
“Honestly, the timing was perfect. I was able to make you find the app when you were at your angriest with the Airas. You wouldn’t have asked Enka or anyone else for help if you were going to use it for revenge, right ?”
Sound reasoning.
If someone was about to do something shady, they wouldn’t go out of their way to share their secret with someone. Even an idiot could figure out that they’d want to keep it under wraps.
However, if Ryugo hadn’t been angry with the Airas and had instead been completely broken, Kouki’s plan would have failed.
When he mentioned that, Kouki immediately denied it.
“No way.”
“You’re not that weak.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
We’ve known each other since we were kids. I don’t even remember how we first met.
We know each other inside and out.
“And then, it went as you know.”
“Why did you tell me not to look for Enka?”
“You heard her level, right? Even if you tried to attack her, there’s no way you could’ve reached her with how little you know about using the app. You would’ve been destroyed.
I also guessed that Enka’s suspicions hadn’t reached the point of certainty yet. She doesn’t want to manipulate you with the app. She wants you to do it of your own free will. Plus, I’m sure she was interested in seeing how you would use the app.”
“To train me to be some kind of hero?”
“――――That’s right.”
I turned around at the sound of a voice behind me.
Strangely enough, I wasn’t that surprised.
Enka was standing there with her usual gentle smile, wiping the Bl00d from her forehead with a handkerchief.
I couldn’t see any other major injuries. She was a bit dirty, but she was standing there calmly after being blown away like that.
…No, there was a slight discomfort in her right shoulder.
Was it broken or dislocated?
“Sorry to startle you.”
“I see. So, you have someone else besides the bunny suit girl. Someone to play the game with. Then it makes sense that they could enter the same space.”
“You’re calm, Tanuki-kun. That’s cool.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d come and tell you some things.”
“That’s rich, coming from you, after you kept secrets from me.”
“Oh, no. Everyone here has been keeping secrets. That’s why we had to have this meeting. No one wanted to talk otherwise.”
As she spoke, Enka’s gaze was directed at Misato, not Ryugo.
…What’s this?
For some reason, Misato’s expression, as Enka glared at her, was one of fear. Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked her why she was here.
“So, I’ll start. I’ll introduce you to the game master.”
And with that, a black shadow spread out behind Enka.
In the blink of an eye, it formed a rectangular shape like a door, casting an eerie color that seemed to cut out the space.
It felt like an intruder had entered.
Someone who had created an entrance that shouldn’t exist, bypassing the administrator’s eyes to move here.
“…………”
I gasped.
A leg extended from the darkness, and a shoe made a sharp sound.
Then a hand. And then the whole body.
It was slender, but not emaciated. It was wearing what looked like a casual suit.
As I thought about all this in the back of my mind…
Not only Ryugo, but also Koki and Misato were speechless at the figure that finally appeared.
“…Oh, come on. Don’t look at me like that, everyone.”
A carefree way of speaking.
A handsome face and a slender build. I won’t forget that face I saw just a few days ago… no, just a few minutes ago.
Questioning my own eyes, I crooked out,
“……………………Haruyoshi?”
Standing beside Enka was none other than Haruyoshi Hebisawa.
He had grown a little taller, but it was definitely him. That was exactly how he would look when he grew up from a high schooler to an adult.
He was dressed in a gray double-breasted suit with six buttons and a bright red tie as vibrant as an apple. A handkerchief was tucked into his breast pocket, giving him the appearance of a sharp actor from a Western movie.
Adjusting his tie, Haruyoshi said with his usual smile,
“Correct. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Mr. Double Suit. Like that Miss Bunny Suit over there, I am the one who gave you the forbidden fruit.”
“Why are you alive?”
“That was just one of my many faces.”
“Don’t be ridiculous and explain yourself properly.”
“My apologies. I mean, I’m a doppelgänger. It was quite thrilling to play a student while dodging Bunny Suit’s detection… I enjoyed it. Well, I was a bit flustered when I was finally discovered, though.”
So, that lifelike disguise was just an illusion.
He’s the kind of being who can create a space like this and develop a hypnosis app. Faking someone’s death must be a piece of cake for him.
I was relieved that Enka hadn’t killed anyone, but why did Haruyoshi… no, Double Suit go so far as to help her?
“I see,” Bunny Suit said, her arms crossed, her gaze piercing.
“You disappeared without a trace… so that woman helped you?”
“Bingo~. A pocket dimension disappears if its creator is not present. However, I needed to go outside to monitor the Experiments. That’s why you had to place me somewhere in the real world. Without realizing that you were sending your location information to Enka. I must say, she did a splendid job of helping me!”
“When it was possible to do that…”
“That’s right! It was when you apprehended the shoplifter. You wouldn’t be able to sense me while you were inside the pocket dimension, sentenced him, right? I was free, so Enka had a hypnotized subject, who was on standby, rescue me.”
“Are you saying that the man was manipulated by the Experiments to commit theft?”
“That’s not it,” Enka answered.
“He was a criminal to begin with. The malicious type who steals things and resells them… I caught him once. But then Double told me that Bunny would probably find him soon, so he asked me to keep him as insurance. That’s why I periodically hypnotized him to restrain his actions while waiting for the right moment to use him.”
She didn’t turn him over to the police, but she didn’t let him shoplift either. Is that what happened?
“I was surprised when I suddenly lost contact with Double. But then, I saw Bunny lurking around while I was visiting Makoto-kun in the hospital, so I decided to execute the plan we had discussed in advance.”
To summarize, it went like this:
Bunny captures Double and imprisons him somewhere. Later, Bunny tries to approach Ryuugo to make contact, but gives up because Enka is there. She moves to the mall in search of refreshments, and Ryuugo and the others follow her. Enka uses the shoplifter she had prepared as a decoy to trick Bunny’s senses. Meanwhile, the hypnotized subject she had on standby rescues Double.
“Double Suit, what’s your purpose in doing all this?”
“Didn’t Bunny tell you? We’re interested in humans. That’s why we gave this app to people. We want to see how they react.”
His words from before crossed my mind.
That inhuman ideology was genuinely his true nature.
“Wait,” Bunny Suit interjected, unable to contain her anger any longer.
“You have broken the rules twice. The first time was when you gave Enka the app several months before the game started without telling me. As a penalty, the transfer of ownership from Kouki to Ryuugo was permitted.
And today, you rescued her herself. This is the second time.”
“That’s right.”
“Why did you do such a pointless thing?”
“Why? Because it would be boring if it ended just like that.”
To the bunny suit’s frown, the double suit nonchalantly replied,
“What?”
“Who would enjoy a game where everyone keeps their secrets until the end? That’s why I’ve been doing my best to liven up the game at school, without breaking the rules too much.
I guided Aira to the top of the school caste, and made her position unshakable by coupling her up with Makoto. I’ve also been keeping Makoto’s violence in check so Tanuki wouldn’t break down completely. All of this is for the sake of enjoying this experiment.”
He’s been adjusting both sides to keep the game from ending?
If that’s true, then he’s been acting this whole time since he entered the school.
If they got serious, the strategy Ryugo came up with would easier collapse than a half-built Jenga tower.
Thinking back, the first violation must have been part of the double suit’s plan.
Even if it meant missing out on Madoka’s victory, it was a trivial matter to him.
No, rather, that may have been his real goal.
He used the penalty to anticipate the appearance of a new player, “Ryugo.”
It must have been so much fun for him.
Ryugo panicking over the sudden turn of events.
Madoka thrown into confusion by the abnormality.
And from that, the second round began.
“But I was really worried when Madoka tried to use Makoto to snoop through your phone. You should thank me for stopping her.”
He’s talking about the day the rebellion began.
It was only a few days ago, but it already feels like a distant memory.
Makoto’s unnatural behavior and timing—I had a feeling something was off about both of them, and it seems I was right.
“It was a good idea to give you the app. It’s turned out to be the best show.”
“Decide whether you want to call it an app or an experiment.”
“That’s right. Let’s call it an app since it’s easier to say.
When I gave out the app, I set the conditions that the targets should be of the same age and attend the same high school, and then I chose them randomly. That’s because I wanted you to get involved.
I wonder if the two people who got the app would cooperate or become enemies… and if they became enemies, who would win? What would they try to do with the app? What kind of drama would unfold from that? It’s so exciting , isn’t it?”
Countless insults came to mind, but I swallowed them back down.
It wasn’t because of some passive thought like, “It’s no use talking.”
Right now, my goal is to hear them out. Draw out as much information as I can, and then I’ll punch them in the face.
“What happens when it’s over?”
“I promise to hand over the app completely. Even if your phone is destroyed or you switch to a new device, the app will remain with you for life. And it will grant any wish you make.”
Same as the bunny suit.
Their positions are different, but the rules they’re bound by are exactly the same.
“Does Madoka know about this?”
“Of course. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any bargaining, would there?”
It’s more advantageous in the long run to defeat the other person.
For someone with big ambitions, that’s reason enough to attack.
An app that can do whatever you want, as long as you do good deeds. Its powerful effects make the rewards seem disproportionate to the price.
Even an ordinary person like Ryugo could become filthy rich overnight if they used it for evil.
Honestly, I have no interest in such a thing.
Right now, I just want to accomplish my original goal.
“One last question before I go.”
“Alright,”
Haruyoshi… the man in the double suit replied.
“Why did you run Enka over with your motorcycle?”
“I mistimed the brakes.”
“I see.”
Enka looked at the man in the double suit as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.