“These are ships. They are there to kill anyone attempting to escape by sea.”
Then he drew parallel vertical and horizontal lines over the island. The diamond shape indicating the island resembled a warped grill now. Starting from the top-left, Sakamochi wrote markers in each grid, “A=1,” “A=2,”…in order. The next row read, “B=1,” “B=2,” etc.
“This is just a simplified diagram. The map inside your packs will look something like this.” Sakamochi placed his chalk down and clapped his hands to clear off the dust.
“Once you leave the premises, you are free to go anywhere. However, announcements will be made across the entire island at the hours of twelve and six, in the morning and at night. That’s four a day. I’ll be referring to this map when I announce the location of zones that will be forbidden after a certain time. You must examine your maps closely and check your compasses against them. If you are in a forbidden zone you must clear out of the area as soon as possible. Because…”
Sakamochi put his hands on the lectern and looked at everyone.
“…of the collars around your necks.”
Until he had made this remark, several students had failed to notice the collars. They touched their necks and looked shocked.
“That device is the result of the latest technology developed by our Republic. It is 100% waterproof, antishock, and uh-uh, no, no, it can’t come off. It won’t come off. If you try to pry it loose…” Sakamochi took a small breath, “…it will explode.”
Several students who had been fingering their collars immediately released their hands.
Sakamochi grinned. “The collar monitors your pulse in order to verify signs of life and transmits this information to the mainframe at this school. It also pinpoints your exact position on the island for us. Now, let’s return to the map.”
Sakamochi swung his right arm back and pointed to the map on the blackboard.
“This same computer will also randomly select forbidden zones. And if there are any students left in the zone after the designated time—of course dead students won’t matter—the computer will automatically detect anyone alive and immediately send a signal to his or her collar. Then…”
Shuya knew what he would say.
“That collar will explode.”
He was right.
Sakamochi paused for a moment to examine everyone. Then he continued, “Why would we do this? Because if everyone huddled up together in one spot, the game wouldn’t proceed. So we will make you move. Simultaneously, the area you can move around in will shrink. Got that?”
Sakamochi called it a game. No wonder. It was fucking outrageous. No one said a word but everyone appeared to understand the rules.
“All right, so that means hiding in a building will do you no good. Even if you hide in some hole you dug in the ground the transmission will reach you. Oh and by the way, you are free to hide in any building but you won’t be able to use the phone. You won’t be able to contact your parents. You have to fight on your own alone. But that’s how the game of life is anyway. Now I did say that the game will begin without any forbidden zones, but there is one exception: this school. Twenty minutes after your departure this school will become a forbidden zone. So please first get out of this area. Let’s see, you must be two hundred meters away. Got that? Now, in my announcements I will also read off the names of those who have died in the past six hours. Each announcement will be made regularly at six-hour intervals, but I’ll also be contacting the last remaining survivor by announcement as well. Oh… and one more thing. There is a time limit. Listen up. A time limit. A lot of people die in the Program, but if no one dies within twenty-four hours then your time’s expired, and it won’t matter how many students are left….”
Shuya knew what he would say.
“The computer will detonate the collars of the remaining students. There will be no winner.”
Again he was right.
Sakamochi stopped speaking. The entire classroom had become silent. The room was still reeking with the heavy stench of Yoshitoki Kuninobu’s blood. Everyone remained in their collective daze. They were scared, but this situation, where they were about to be thrown into a killing game, seemed beyond their comprehension.
As if responding to their general state of mind, Sakamochi clapped his hands. “Well, I’ve covered all the tedious details. Now I have something more important to tell you. A piece of advice. Some of you might be thinking that murdering your classmates is impossible. But don’t forget there are others willing to do it.”
Shuya wanted to scream, you’re full of it! But with the Fumiyo-Fujiyoshi-executed-for-whispering incident only moments in the past he could only stay put.
Everybody remained silent, but something had suddenly changed and Shuya knew it.
Everyone was looking around, glancing at the others’ pale faces. Whenever anyone’s gaze met, their eyes would nervously turn toward Sakamochi. It only happened within a matter of seconds, but their expressions were exactly the same: they were tense and suspicious, wondering who was already ready to take part. Only a few, like Shinji Mimura, remained calm.
Shuya clenched his teeth again. You’re falling into their trap! Think about it, we’re a group. There’s no way we can kill each other!
“All right then, I need to make sure you get my point. You’ll find some paper and pencils in your desks.”
Everyone timidly took out their paper and pencils. Shuya had no choice but to follow his instructions.
“Now then, I want you to write this down. To memorize something, it’s best to write it down. Write this. ‘We will kill each other.’ Write it three times.”
Shuya heard the pencils scribbling against the paper. Noriko too held her pencil, looking morose. While Shuya wrote out this insane motto, he glanced at Yoshitoki’s body, which remained lying between the desks. He recalled Yoshitoki’s warm smile.
Sakamochi continued, “Okay then. ‘If I don’t kill, I will be killed.’ Write this down three times too.”
Shuya also glanced over at Fumiyo Fujiyoshi. Her white fingers poking out of the cuffs of her sailor suit uniform gently formed a bowl. She was the nurse’s aide. She was quiet but very caring.
Then he looked up at Sakamochi.
Fucking bastard, I’ll stab you in the chest with this pencil!
6
“Now then, let’s see, every two minutes one of you will be leaving the classroom. Once you go through this door and turn right down the hall you’ll find the school exit. You are to leave immediately. Anyone loitering in the hall will be immediately shot. Now, who do we start with? According to the Program rules, once we determine the first person, the rest of the order will correspond to your classroom seating assignments. Male, female, male, female, got it? Once we reach the last seat number, we start over from the first number. So…”
At this point, Shuya recalled that Noriko’s seating number was 15. It was the same as his. Which meant that he and Noriko could leave almost simultaneously (unless she was chosen first, which meant he would be the last one to leave). But… could Noriko walk?
Sakamochi took out an envelope from his inner coat pocket.
“The first student is selected by lottery. Hold on a second…”
From his pocket Sakamochi produced a pink-ribboned pair of scissors and ceremoniously cut open the end of the envelope.
That was when Kazuo Kiriyama spoke up. Like Shinji Mimura, he also sounded calm. But his voice sounded cold with a harsh ring. “I was wondering when the game begins.”