32: Trumpet with Vomit
Enough talk.
The mastermind behind this incident is irredeemable, and with a mindset that could be described as innocent evil, has gotten Ryugo and the others involved.
And has sown the seeds of conflict that could grow into a deadly fight, and is enjoying watching it unfold.
Once we understand that much, that’s enough.
“The talk is over.”
He slammed his fist into his palm, making a satisfying ‘pop’ sound.
“I’m going to start beating the crap out of you.”
“Oh no you’re not, Raccoon-kun,”
Enka said with a relaxed smile.
“Our fight isn’t here, it’s in the real world.”
“I never intended to follow the rules in the first place. I’m going to smash your smartphone.”
“Brave words,”
said Enka, turning her back to him.
A black hole was in front of her… the entryway that they had come through.
From Noble mtl dot com
No matter what we do, in a matter of seconds, they will be able to return to reality.
“See you later, Raccoon-kun.”
As she laughed triumphantly, a thread of reason snapped inside Ryugo.
He had always hated it when enemy characters ran away without a fight.
Even if he understood that the protagonist couldn’t chase after the enemy for some reason, and even if catching them would end the story, he always wanted them to at least get a shot in.
Of course, that wasn’t what he was thinking about.
Because it only took 0.5 seconds for Ryugo to act.
It was purely reflexive.
He grabbed the rabbit trumpet that was nearby, and with
“Don’t you dare run awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”
threw it with all his might.
Enka was his target.
He had completely forgotten basic ethics about not using violence against girls.
The only thing on his mind was “I’m going to smash her because she pisses me off,” and his body moved on its own to carry out that action.
“Even if you throw that…”
Just as Enka began to evade it,
“That trumpet has puke in it!!”
“What!?”
Koki inspired, and Enka froze in surprise for a split second.
The trumpet, which had crashed violently against the floor, rolled around, scattering vomit. It was right next to the entryway.
“Wha-!?”
Ryuugo tackled Madoka, who had hurriedly jumped back.
“Hmph!”
Madoka hurriedly tried to guard herself with her right hand, but it was too late. Her palm only grasped at air.
“Gotcha!”
He pinned down her upper body with both legs and reflexively locked her right arm as if hugging her.
It was an armbar.
The technique was fully applied. Madoka was kicking her legs around, but she couldn’t change her posture at all.
Ryuugo glared at the double-suited man who was still standing.
“What do you think? Are you going to help this girl and break the rules again?”
“No. If I give her any more preferential treatment, I won’t have a chance of winning. Madoka will have to break the situation with her own power.”
“That’s what I was expecting you to say.”
All he had to do now was take Madoka’s smartphone and destroy it. That alone would end this ridiculous game called Experiments.
Underneath him, her slender face was contorted in pain.
Even if there was a reason, it would be normal to feel a little bad about using violence against a girl, he was supposed to.
But what was the reality?
He didn’t feel an ounce of guilt, and he even considered breaking her arm.
He wasn’t crazy.
It was just that he was tired of being disappointed by others.
Please, let this end.
It had been a long but short battle.
If Madoka hadn’t gotten carried away and come here, it would have dragged on even longer.
All that was left was for Kouki to destroy the smartphone.
“Hey, did you know?”
Suddenly, Madoka spoke.
Her clear voice, as if she were reciting something, resonated in this absurd space.
Despite having her body restrained, she didn’t show an ounce of suffering.
“Even if you delete the app, the hypnosis won’t be lifted.”
“So what?”
“And some of the higher-level ‘commands’ can be made permanent. In other words, unless I remove the hypnosis from the app, if you delete it, the person under the hypnosis will live like that for the rest of their lives.
That includes the owner.
The ‘attitude’ hypnosis is lifted when you become the owner, but if you apply a ‘command’ with a permanent effect, it won’t be lifted even if you’re the owner.”
“Thanks for the explanation. After some consideration, I’ve decided that it’s better to end it here and minimize the damage. I can’t afford to let the damage get any worse, so I’ll have to give up on my memories .”
It was uncertain whether he would be able to get this close again.
Besides, he was sick of running around in vain.
“Kouki! Destroy Madoka’s smartphone!”
“Ah――――what!?”
With a cry of agony from Koki, I raised my face in shock.
Behind him, as he collapsed with a thud,
“…!”
Misato was swinging down the trumpet.
The point of impact was probably the back of Koki’s head. Why am I observing this so calmly?
I was stunned, but my mind was clear.
My best friend collapsed with a thud.
Seeing Misato approaching, Ryugo realized that he was also being targeted.
But there was no way to avoid it.
So then,
“Hn!”
He twisted his body with all his might and broke Enka’s slender arm.
“Wha…!?”
If I let her escape here, I’ll injure her so that she’ll be easier to corner later.
A chilling sensation like cracking bone ran through him. The criminal, Ryugo himself, was shaken by the horrific destruction taking place inside his body.
No, that’s not right.
It’s just a dislocated shoulder.
Now I remember.
This is the shoulder that was almost dislocated when I crashed into the motorcycle!
Enka had deliberately put her right arm out when Ryugo charged at her. She had probably anticipated that he would try to restrain her arm.
Back at that abandoned factory, Ryugo had restrained her body once. So she must have predicted that he would try the same move again.
But even so, to change her stance at the last moment and avoid having her arm broken. It was an incredible decision-making speed, even if there was some hesitation before breaking it.
I’ve been had.
“Bastard!!”
Misato’s full swing connected with his temple.
A deafening sound reverberated through his skull. Then, a sharp, throbbing pain hit him, as if his bones were about to break.
With a sensation like sparks crackling in the back of his eyes,
“Guh!”
The impact caused him to loosen his grip.
Then, Misato’s desperate tackle sent Ryugo flying. He slammed his back hard against the floor, momentarily forgetting how to breathe.
This is bad. I let go of her hand.
It was only after all this that I finally realized her goal.
She was doing all this to help Enka.
But why?
Come to think of it, why was Misato following Enka’s orders in the first place?
I couldn’t ask because of Yoko’s interruption, but wasn’t that the important thing?
“Wait…!!”
I tried to get up in a hurry, but
“See you later.”
Enka, the man in the double suit, and Misato disappeared into the black hole.
Silence descends.
Ryugo lets out a deep sigh as he gazes into the void where everyone once stood.
He has failed.
Gradually, his strength wanes, and he falls to his knees, lying down.
Staring up at the ceiling, he takes deep breaths.
“…This is ridiculous.”
In retrospect, it was an obvious outcome.
The problems he had been putting off due to various circumstances have now crushed this rare opportunity, and it’s almost laughable.
Misato had been saying it from the start. That he was being manipulated by Enka.
He could have predicted this would happen.
It was a misjudgment.
“Hey, Bunny Suit.”
“What?”
“Are you enjoying this?”
Betrayal, being betrayed, deception, being deceived.
He can’t say it’s none of his business since he was partly responsible, but it’s a disgusting mess that makes him sick.
“Did you see what you wanted to see?”
“I suppose so. The outcome was far from what I had initially expected, but I find it interesting nonetheless. This too is a very human behavior.”
“Expected?”
“When people are given excessive freedom, they reveal their true nature. Some people indulge themselves with excessive wealth, while others donate to sick children. Some say that one’s true nature comes out when they are in a desperate situation, but that’s not true. True goodness emerges only when one becomes an absolute victor.”
Bunny Suit plops down on the spot, and a nearby rabbit hurriedly gets on all fours, becoming a makeshift chair.
“I thought you would use the app more freely, following your own desires. But to my surprise, the battles you fought were surprisingly well-behaved.”
“I’ve been acting according to my own desires from the beginning. I just wanted to beat up those who pissed me off.”
“Anger, is it?”
“Yeah, not justice or evil. I was just plain angry.”
If he were a vile person, he wouldn’t have gotten involved with Ira and the others. He would have used the app to create his own paradise of endless debauchery.
But Ryugo didn’t do that.
He is surprised by this fact, as he never thought of himself as a particularly noble person.
He has a vague idea why.
From the moment he decided to use the app to fight against Ira and the others, he always felt Kouki’s gaze on his back.
No, he had the illusion that it was there.
He had subconsciously thought that he had to become a person his friend could be proud of.
“And the biggest reason is…”
“What?”
“Probably because of the rule that you don’t level up unless you do good deeds. That made me always conscious of ‘good and evil’.”
Who would be happy if he did what? offline, what would make them unhappy?
Since it affected his level, it was a factor he always had to keep in mind. That’s why he was able to stay calm even when he was thinking wicked thoughts.
“I was the one who added that. Actions should have consequences. Those who do good deeds should be allowed to do evil to the same extent.”
“And vice versa?”
“I, too, have done enough good deeds to host this experiment. I have made rain fall on drought-stricken lands, provided wisdom to cure rampant epidemics, and thrown criminals who were supposed to escape into prison.”
The last one, was it the day you met the shoplifter?
Future vision, or maybe you’re grasping a more conceptual phenomenon. Doesn’t matter.
“Tanuki, you’re calm.”
Kouki said, crossing his arms.
“I just don’t want to think about anything anymore.”
Ryugo muttered, still looking up at the sky.
◇
Misato tried to shake off the feeling of the blow that remained in her hand in the dimly lit office of the building.
She had to do it.
She punched Kouki from behind, pushed Ryugo away, and blew her biggest chance to end the Experiments.
She had to do it.
The Double Suit was no longer there.
The Game Master should not be directly involved in the progress of the Experiments. He’s probably watching us from a higher place.
“Well done.”
Enka emerged from behind a concrete pillar, clapping her hands.
“Perfect behavior as a stakeholder. Thank you.”
“Don’t mess with me!!”
Misato punched the wall with all her might. A throbbing pain reached her bones, and cold Bl00d trickled down her skin.
That alone did not consume the anger that had gone to her head; rather, it only made her hatred burn more fiercely.
“This was your goal from the beginning, wasn’t it!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You wanted the Tanukis to see me helping you and make them fight each other. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come there on purpose!!”
“That’s a terrible way to put it. Misato-chan, that was the deal.”
“That’s right… If I’m completely hated by the Tanuki, you’ll give him back his memories. That was the deal, wasn’t it?”
That day.
Kouki transferred schools, and Ryugo’s memories of Misato were erased.
Having her friends taken away from her so unreasonably and having no means to resist, Misato had no choice but to accept Enka’s worst proposal.
To bully Aira and push Ryugo away.
That’s why she couldn’t let Enka destroy her smartphone just now.
She had to get his memories back.
That’s why she had killed her own feelings and come this far.
“Misato-chan, I wanted you to become Tanuki-kun’s enemy. That’s why…”
With a pop, Misato’s shoulders shook in surprise.
Enka was holding a party cracker in her hand, and colorful streamers and confetti were flying out of the hole.
Each of those bright, colorful things looked grotesque.
“From today on, Misato-chan is truly Tanuki-kun’s enemy.”