Chapter 9 - Kiretsu: Crack
1
Following the monster’s orders, Naoki made his way to the roof. The bright light of the morning sun made him squint. He could hear the restless murmuring coming from the courtyard below. It sounded like plenty of students had already arrived at school, though he couldn’t see any of them just yet.
“Get up on the water tower,” said the girl who’d swallowed a blue bug almost 20 years ago—the monster Naoki now shared a body with.
Toward the back of the roof sat the several-meter-high water tower that supplied the whole school with water.
What does she think is up there?
Naoki cocked his head quizzically as he ascended the ladder of the cylindrical tower. It didn’t take him long to reach the top. It was the highest point on campus. Standing on it, he could see the whole town. On a clear day like today, he could even see the mountains in the distance.
Naoki had lived in this town his entire life. To the west he could even see a particularly tall building—the hospital where he’d been born. It had been a rough delivery, and apparently his mother was forced to suffer through 50 hours of labor after her contractions first began. In the garden behind the hospital stood a great sawtooth oak tree. His mother had named him after that tree, spelling his name with the characters for “straight” and “tree” in hopes of him growing up to be upright.
To the south, he could see the train station. Naoki had loved trains for as long as he could remember, possibly even longer. He could remember always begging his mother to take him to see them there. There was also the swimming school he’d gone to since kindergarten and the elementary school where he’d kept a perfect attendance record for six straight years. There was also the park where he’d run and hide after his father’s yelling reduced him to tears, the hobby shop he’d frequently visited in search of his next train model...
Various memories resurfaced as he looked out over the town. It was like he could see his entire 14 years in the scenery. But the girl’s next command snapped him back to reality.
“Look inside the water tower.”
The top of the water tower was sealed with a sturdy-looking lid. It wouldn’t be easy to pry open, but it was warped toward the lip, which created just enough of a gap for him to peer through. Naoki stooped down, leaned in, and took a look.
“...!”
The horrific sight was like nothing he could have imagined. Blue grasshopper-like insects were swimming through the water, wriggling their bodies. There were over a hundred—no, there were easily over a thousand of them. And that was just what Naoki could see on the surface. There could be even more teeming below. Something about them was familiar, too. They looked similar to the insects that had scattered across the floor when he tossed the wooden box he’d found in his pocket.
“Oh...”
Was that it? Weren’t these just like the insects the girl had swallowed 20 years ago?
“That’s right,” the girl happily replied, reading his mind. “These are the insects that were sealed in the basement of my home, the Jailhouse. I knew we’d need them, so I grabbed the box while we were leaving. I’m in complete control in monster form, so you probably don’t remember anything about that.”
“So, what? You dumped the contents of the box in here?”
“Yes, right after we arrived here from the mountains. After absorbing some water, they returned to life and multiplied almost instantly. The newborn insects are so small you can’t see them, so I have no idea how many there are exactly.”
“...”
“What do you think would happen if you drank this water? No, you wouldn’t even have to drink it. The insects can enter through the skin too, apparently. I wonder what would happen if I splashed this on someone... I can’t wait to find out.”
The girl’s chuckle bubbled out from Naoki’s mouth.
“Are you telling me the thing that killed Panzee was...?” he asked, recalling the translucent monster that had suddenly appeared in the science lab.
“After he changed the water in the tank, the amoebas became monsterized. I doubt that teacher ever expected to be killed by his own research subjects.” She continued cheerfully, “But it was probably for the best that he died so soon, don’t you think? Otherwise he’d have to witness the nightmare that’s swiftly approaching.”
“What are you planning?”
“I changed the game a bit.”
“Huh?”
“Originally there was an escape chute on the top floor you could use to clear the game, right? But that’s too boring, so I did a little reprogramming and made it so that the button to release the chute will also destroy the water tower and douse the students below. Everyone bathed in this blue water will transform into monsters like me. Will that merry band be able to live with themselves when they realize the horrors they’ve unleashed upon their own classmates?”
Naoki’s gaze shifted to the courtyard, the girl’s laughter echoing in his ears. Students were continuing to gather in the courtyard. They were all so captivated by the buzz of what was going on around school that they didn’t even realize he was up on the roof looking down at them.
“When the water tower is destroyed, everyone down there will be turned into a monster?”
“That’s right. I can’t wait.”
“But that includes people who have nothing to do with this. I only wanted to exact vengeance on my classmates—”
“That might be what you want, but not me,” the girl said, her tone hardening. “Every last human deserves to be wiped off the face of this planet.”
Her pitch-black emotions ate away at Naoki’s heart.
“I need your hate to fester even more. If you keep waffling, salvation will elude you. You want to find peace, don’t you? Then hate! Hate more!”
Memories of being bullied came flooding back to Naoki. It was probably her work. She must have learned how to control his emotions.
Hate... Hate humans...
He started seeing red.
Kill... Kill... Kill them all...
His brain was numb. He felt like he was losing himself.
Help me...
A scream escaped his lips.
I... I... didn’t want this...
But his shouts were swallowed by black mist, leaving only a murderous rage behind.
2
A stout safe in the principal’s office required a four-digit code to unlock. Squatting in front of it, Hiroshi quickly punched a few buttons on the ten-key pad. Using the numbers written on the piano in the music room and the cypher written on the blackboard in the guidance counselor’s office, he’d already cracked the code. With a low beep, the heavy door opened. Inside the safe was an ancient brass key, rusted from lack of care and use.
“Doesn’t look like there’s anything else. Let’s move on to the next classroom.”
Inserting the key into his pocket, Hiroshi quickly stood up. There wasn’t much time left. They couldn’t afford to dilly-dally.
“You really are something else, Hiroshi,” Kazuya said, impressed.
“How so?” Hiroshi asked as they proceeded quickly down the hall, leaving the principal’s office behind.
The only place left to search was the west side of the first floor. A set of concrete stairs next to the school entrance there allowed them to descend belowground where all the spare furniture was kept. His mind set on finding this storehouse, Hiroshi casually listened to Kazuya with one ear as they walked.
“I mean, you’re so calm despite this crazy situation. And you move so smartly, it’s almost like you already know everything.”
“Oh, about that—”
Hiroshi swallowed the rest of his sentence. Shun’s game had prepared him for all of the obstacles to be found within the school. They’d come from the Jailhouse, after all. It was only natural that they were all passé to him now. But even if he tried explaining that to Kazuya, it would be hard to convince him it was true. And as things stood, they didn’t have a second to waste.
“It’s thanks to Shun. He taught me all the secrets to beating escape games, which has been surprisingly helpful.”
He was hoping Kazuya would buy it, though it wasn’t exactly a lie. It was only thanks to Shun’s help that he’d been able to avoid a game over for so long. But this time, he didn’t have Shun’s help. They had no way of contacting him, making it impossible to even get his advice.
Shun...
Hiroshi’s chest suddenly tightened.
Please be safe.
He could only hope.
“I should say, however, that you have one thing wrong,” Hiroshi clarified as he searched the key ring he’d taken from the teacher’s lounge for the key to the storehouse. “You said I’m completely calm, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m not calm in the least.”
Perhaps before, Hiroshi would have been able to stay calm even in the face of much worse horrors. But things were different now. His mind began panicking when he so much as thought of the captive Shun, preventing him from making logical decisions. And it wasn’t just Shun, either. Hiroshi was deeply troubled by the news of Takeshi’s death. And even now, he was worried for Takuro and Mika’s safety. There was no telling when Naoki might attack. So despite the situation demanding the utmost of his focus, he could scarcely concentrate.
“At some point, I became a complete coward. I wonder why...” Hiroshi muttered as he cocked his head quizzically.
For some reason, he couldn’t find the storehouse key on the key ring. Mostly he’d been talking to himself, however...
“I don’t think that’s true,” Kazuya stood before him and said.
“Huh?”
Hiroshi’s hands fell idle as he looked up at Kazuya.
“Before, whenever something caught your interest, you became absorbed, unable to see anything else. It always made you seem so unreliable... But watching you today, I’ve been thinking something was different. Now I think I finally get it... Yeah, that’s what it is, huh?”
“Kindly enlighten me with your hypothesis. I’m afraid I’m not following.”
“You’re not a coward at all. No, you’ve just got something important to you now. It’s normal to be nervous about losing it, you know? And that doesn’t make you a coward. Cowards are people who abandon what’s important to them just to save their own skin.”
Hiroshi cocked his head. The meaning of Kazuya’s abstract words eluded him.
“You know how an earwig will protect its eggs with its life, even giving up its body so that the newly-hatched larvae can feed? Humans are the same. When you have someone you want to protect, that’s when you really show your strength.”
There, a familiar voice cut into their conversation.
“Chatting about bugs while your classmates’ lives are in danger? Are you two even taking this seriously?”
Hiroshi whipped around when he heard it.
“What are you doing here? There’s not much time left.”
Atop the stairs stood Naoki, a giant grin on his face. Hiroshi’s whole body went stiff for a moment as if he’d been struck by lightning. He then quickly jumped back, pressing his back against the wall. His eyes were wide, observing Naoki’s every move.
I’m scared, he honestly thought.
This was yet another emotion that never would have surfaced in him before, but now the bottomless fear he felt made his knees buckle. Naoki had sent Takuro flying earlier. A single flick of his finger would paralyze or even kill Hiroshi or Kazuya.
“You show real strength when you have someone you want to protect? That’s just stupid. Humans are as simple as insects. You only care about yourselves above all else.”
“That’s not—”
Kazuya opened his mouth to retort, but Hiroshi cut him off with his right hand. He may have seen Mr. Inoue’s gruesome end, but Kazuya had no idea just how scary Naoki could be. They couldn’t risk provoking him.
“What? Was there something wrong with what I said?”
Naoki smiled as he leaned against the wall, yet his eyes were as cold and hard as steel.
“Kazuya,” his slightly pale blue lips called. “Tell me this, then. You knew I was being bullied, didn’t you? So why didn’t you help me?”
Hiroshi could see Kazuya’s expression tense. His small Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
“And don’t try and play dumb. I know you happened to pass by one day while Takuro was having fun with his little ‘experiments.’ I don’t know what you were doing around when literally no one ever went there, but as soon as you saw me, you hid. Takuro and his gang were too focused on bullying me to notice you, but I saw you. I saw you with my poor, desperate, pleading eyes.”
“...”
“In that moment, I felt a slight spark of hope. I thought maybe you’d come to help me. But I was dead wrong. Of course not. Why would you help me? If you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, you’d just end up the next victim. Which brings me back to my point: people only care about themselves. But I don’t blame you for that, so don’t be so twitchy.”
Suddenly, Naoki’s expression changed. His cold eyes sharpened into a piercing glare.
“What I can’t forgive is what happened after. Everyone started avoiding me,” he spat hotly. “It’s not like I had any great friends in class, but even the people who’d been kind to me suddenly refused to so much as interact with me. I was always alone during recess unless Takuro wanted me. And I have to say, I think that hurt worse than being hit. I mean, how would you feel if everyone treated you like you were invisible?”
Naoki clutched at his chest. Deep, painful memories must have been surfacing within him.
“If someone had reached out to me, I might have been able to ask for help. Even if I couldn’t have that, just one normal, meaningless conversation with a classmate would have done wonders to brighten those dark days. But no, I was denied even that. Everyone ignored me, and it’s obvious why. If anyone associated with me, there was a chance they’d be caught up in the hell I was living. That’s what they were all scared of.” Naoki continued his monologue as if spitting bile from the very depths of his soul. “I existed, yet no one saw me... Do you have any idea what that’s like? Thinking back on it, it was like I was already a ghost.”
The moment Naoki paused to catch his breath, Kazuya interjected.
“Yes, you’re right. I knew you were being bullied by Takuro. But I didn’t pretend not to see it. I knew it was wrong and horrible. That I had to do something.
“Liar. You’re no better than Panzee. I’ve had enough excuses for one day—”
“I’m not lying. I knew I had to do something, so that day I snuck out back with my camera. I took pictures of what Takuro was doing to you.”
There, Naoki, who had been spitting hate like a machine gun, suddenly fell silent.
“I knew Panzee wouldn’t do anything if I showed them to him, so I knew I had to stay calm and play my cards wisely. I got together with a few classmates I trusted, and we discussed what we should do. Takuro always acted like the perfect student in front of the adults. We figured his worst fear would be being exposed for the creep he really is, so we thought sneaking one of the pictures into his locker would give him a scare.”
“Did you actually do that?”
“Yes.”
“Then the reason everyone avoided me...”
“Was because if we were found out, Takuro would just end up taking it out on you. It would only make things worse, and everything we’d done would have been for naught. So after talking it over, we decided it would be best to give you some space until it was all over.”
“...”
“But in the end, we couldn’t save you,” Kazuya said, pained. “Takuro’s a smart guy. He probably realized it was us right away.”
Kazuya paused there for the briefest moment. His next words would shock them all.
“A few days after putting the picture in his locker, terrible things started happening to everyone who’d been involved. I was hospitalized with inexplicable stomach pain. Someone else had their wallet stolen, and another one of my friends had a flowerpot dropped on their head. They had to call an ambulance. And this was all on the same day. Do you think that was a coincidence?” Kazuya averted his gaze, hesitantly continuing, “But the worst thing of all was the car accident...”
Hiroshi had been quietly listening all this time, but he could no longer stay silent.
“Don’t tell me...”
“Yeah, I mean Anna. She was helping us.” Biting his lower lip, Kazuya soldiered on. “And that... That was the accident that killed you, Naoki.”
“...”
“We underestimated Takuro. None of us expected him to be a full-blown psychopath. Of course, we didn’t have any proof that that was all his doing. We could have quietly investigated on our own or gone to the police and tried to figure something out, but the last of our courage died with you. When we heard what happened to you, we realized Takuro was far too dangerous to mess with and decided to put it all behind us.”
Kazuya’s earth-shattering confession had Hiroshi speechless. He could hardly believe that Takuro had been the one to orchestrate Anna’s accident. Had he seen her parents’ car coming? Is that why he’d told Naoki to run out into traffic? Even if it was, surely he hadn’t expected things to blow up so spectacularly. At least, that’s what Hiroshi hoped.
Like Kazuya had said, there was no proof any of it was Takuro’s handiwork. It could all just be a coincidence. Not that that would absolve him of his sins.
“No... I don’t believe you...” Naoki whispered, his voice barely audible. “Are you trying to say it’s my fault you all met with misfortune? Just for trying to save me? Impossible. If that’s true, you should be furious with me. You should be screaming in my face for what I wrought on you. And Anna... I’ve talked to her plenty of times since the accident, and she’s never said a word about this. Why...? Why is that?”
“Maybe she didn’t want you to suffer any further,” Hiroshi quickly replied.
That’s what his gut told him. That would be just like Anna.
“She just lost her parents and was badly injured herself. How could she have the presence of mind to worry about someone else? There’s no way anyone that kind exists—”
“That’s not true. I’m looking at you right now, Naoki,” interrupted Hiroshi.
“...Huh?” Naoki started, his brow furrowing into an odd shape.
“This is just a guess, but was it actually you who made it so we were the characters in Shun’s escape game?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I inspired Shun through his dreams to create a game where Takuro and his lackeys were chased around by the Jailhouse monster. He hated Takuro too, and I wanted to use that to get revenge for the both of us.”
“No. That’s not true, is it?” Hiroshi asked, looking Naoki straight in the eye.
“What are you trying to say?” Naoki asked in return, his eyes shifting about nervously. He was clearly feeling the pressure.
“If you really wanted to get revenge, you wouldn’t have needed to do it in such a roundabout way. Things could have been far simpler and more direct. For example, you could have just told Shun to kill Takuro. In fact, wasn’t it just a coincidence that Shun’s game and the Jailhouse synced up? And if that hadn’t happened, you never would’ve been able to exact revenge on Takuro.”
“...”
“In that case, why did you make Shun create that game? The answer is obvious: you wanted to save Shun.”
“I have no idea what you’re—”
“There’s no need to hide it. You saw yourself in Shun since he was experiencing the same cruel bullying you were forced to suffer through. I bet you were worried he might break at some point. You wanted to save him, and so you inspired him to make the game as a way to vent his pent-up anger.”
Naoki was absolutely silent. He denied nothing, leaving Hiroshi finally sure of everything. Naoki hadn’t lost his mind. He’d just been confused for a while after becoming a ghost and being alone for so long with no one to acknowledge his existence. Most likely, his personality was really the same as it had always been.
“I hear you transported Takeshi’s body to the home ec kitchen. Takuro said you were trying to eat him, but that’s not the case, is it? You two had fond memories together there, didn’t you? I recall you liked to talk about cooking with each other.”
“No... I...”
“Why are you forcing yourself to play the villain? I’ve known for a while now that it wasn’t actually you who killed Mr. Inoue or Takeshi.”
“Huh? Really?” Kazuya asked, baffled.
“Melting faces and shooting holes in people’s temples isn’t the blue giant’s M.O.,” Hiroshi explained to Kazuya, then turned back to Naoki. “So, Naoki, let’s just stop this. It doesn’t look to me like you’re enjoying this vengeance of yours.”
“Shut up! SHUT UP!” Naoki shouted loud enough that the very air in the room shook. “Don’t order me around. You think you know it all? You have no idea how much I’ve suffered!”
Unable to contain his anger any longer, he slammed his right fist into the bare concrete. It rattled the entire building, sending a great crack up the wall.
Naoki’s heavy breathing echoed in their ears.
“Help me.”
That was what it sounded like to Hiroshi.
“Naoki—”
“I told you to shut the hell up!” Naoki screamed at him before practically fleeing the room.
For the longest time, Hiroshi had been oblivious to the human heart. As a result, he himself had never picked up on Naoki’s bullying.
But...
Stepping into the hall, he swore to himself as he watched that lonely figure run off...
This time, I want to save him.
3
It was 7:45 according to the school’s great clock by the time the patrol car arrived at the front gate. A familiar stern-looking police officer stepped out of the car. His face was as stony as ever as he listened to the teachers explain the situation. Anna watched them talk from around the side of the gym. A second police officer was trying to force the front door open, but Anna knew all too well it was pointless. Not even his gun would put a dent in it.
“Ungh...”
Hearing Mari’s groaning, Anna turned around. She was lying on the gym bench. A thick coat lay over her, placed there by her good friend Satsuki. Satsuki sat there, faithfully kneeling by her side, completely defenseless against the chill of the bitter winter morning.
“Mari, can you hear me?” the nurse, who all of the boys at school drooled over, asked her.
“Oh... What happened to me?” Mari groaned in a feeble voice.
“Are you nauseous? Do you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine,” she said in a weak, but clear voice.
For the moment, there seemed to be no cause for concern. Anna sighed in relief.
“You seem to have a slight fever. I recommend you go home for the day.”
“But I have to...”
“Oh, honestly, Mari! Enough!” Satsuki shouted, shaking Mari’s hand as she held it.
“Oh, Satsuki. Good morning.”
“Don’t give me that! Do you know what I found when I came to school this morning? The school all boarded up and you collapsed on the ground! You scared me half to death. Are you really okay?”
“Yeah. I felt a little sluggish earlier, but now I’m totally fine,” Mari sat up and answered.
“What in the world happened?”
“I don’t really know. I took some cold medicine over by the water fountain, and—”
As she spoke, Mari’s gaze shifted Anna’s way. Anna gulped.
But how?
The bright morning sun seemed to be disguising it from the others, but Anna saw it immediately... those unmistakably wide eyes. Mari’s dilated pupils were looking right at her.