Chapter 3: The Ultimate Game

Chapter 3: The Ultimate Game

Date: x/xx

Weather: Rainy/Cloudy

Oh yeah, and I noticed something. Is it just me, or are the second-years all acting kind of weird lately?

+++

After recording everything I could remember from our conversation into a text document, I close my laptop, get up from my desk, and leave my room.

As I cut across the living room to the kitchen, I can see a bunch of celebrities on TV, laughing like idiots as they play some stupid penalty game. In front of the TV sits my younger brother, laughing along with them.

In the kitchen, I grab a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and pour some into a glass.

“How’s high school, Chihiro? Are you keeping up in class?” my mother asks me.

“Yeah. The coursework is so easy, it’s nothing.”

“That’s good... I figured you wouldn’t have too much trouble...” She hesitates.

Spit it out already, would you?

“Are you... having fun? I know you weren’t too happy having to settle for your second choice, but...”

Why do you always have to trail off like that? Normally this would piss me off, but these days I have bigger fish to fry.

“Sure, it’s fun.”

Trust me, I’m having a great time.

See, I’ve always been the skeptical type, so the first time I did it, I was scared it wouldn’t work. But when I went for it, the results were extraordinary—enough to erase my doubts entirely.

Thinking back, I suppose the whole thing was too intricate to be a scam.

When we first met, it asked me if I’d like to “make this stupid world a bit more entertaining.” At first I thought this was supposed to be some kind of creepy joke, but one look at it and I realized it was dead serious.

It told me it was merely borrowing the body it was in. Then it switched bodies with me in order to prove it was telling the truth... It was so unreal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d one day get to experience a body-swap in real life.

I’ve met with it a few more times since then. It told me all about what it’s been doing to its current targets, then asked me about myself in exchange. Later it told me this was essentially its idea of an “interview process.”

After that little back-and-forth, I felt like I had a better grasp of my personal motivations. Then it told me I had “passed the test,” and I was given this power. In exchange, I was told to “make things more interesting between the five of them.” Piece of cake.

I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m using my power.

My choice to target Yaegashi Taichi first was a smart one, if I do say so myself. He’s such a sucker, he’d fall for anything, and sure enough, my plan went off without a hitch. Thinking back, I’m lucky he decided to tell me everything he’d gone through over the past year. It helped me figure out exactly how to rattle him.

Thus, I think it’s safe to say stage one of my plan was a success.

I did my homework, planned out a script, and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Not only that, but things are snowballing faster than I expected... It’s a thrill to watch. Most importantly, though, I discovered that I can safely turn into people I don’t personally know.

Looks like I’m on the right track.

Granted, if I so desired, I could do a lot worse—but that would be a total amateur move, so no thanks. I was chosen for a reason, wasn’t I?

This is all part of my plan to ascend to the next level.

But since I’m running this operation, and I do technically owe them my gratitude for serving as my stepping stones... I think I’ll show them just how fragile their precious connections really are. I’ll show them that what they think is “true love” is really just an illusion.

So go ahead, peasants. Lose yourself in your teenage dreams. It’s your life, after all. But you’ll have to come back down to reality eventually. This world wasn’t designed for people to spend their whole lives acting out a stupid fantasy. Trust me, I know. So I’m going to show you how the world works.

Honestly, I can’t thank «Heartseed» enough.

□■□■□

As per his new routine, Chihiro arrived at school fairly early in the morning. Then he wandered around campus, focusing on all the places where he was most likely to encounter his CRC senpai. Naturally, the second floor was most ideal considering all the second-year classrooms were up there, but he decided against it. As a first-year, he’d be seen as suspicious for loitering around there too much.

He knew he probably needed to spend more time ironing out an aggressive plan, but looking back, spontaneity was clearly working in his favor. Besides, there was a limit to how much he could reasonably script out. Surely it couldn’t hurt to leave some things up to chance.

Near the staff room, he caught sight of a familiar figure—Nagase Iori. With her long dark hair streaming behind her as she walked, it felt like a scene out of a movie, and he started to understand why people loved to gossip about her beauty. To the vermin on lower planes of existence, she likely represented the ideal girl.

When Chihiro asked «Heartseed» what this power was called, it told him it didn’t have one... so he decided to call it “Phantom Projection.” After all, in his view, he was “projecting” himself as a “phantom” of someone else. This power was all too easy to trigger—all he had to do was stand near his target and announce who he was going to appear as.

He closed in on her from behind. Nobody he knew was nearby, so he figured he could get away with it for a few minutes.

“[Nagase Iori’s vision of Yaegashi Taichi].”

He said it just loud enough for only Nagase to hear... but he knew she wouldn’t actually hear it. After all, it was more of a posthypnotic suggestion.

“Hey there, Nagase,” said [Taichi].

“Huh?” Nagase turned around. “Oh, good morning, Taichi.”

With the Projection in effect, she now saw him as Yaegashi Taichi—everything from his appearance to his voice to his body language. It was all automatically converted for him, no acting skills required. That said, the transformation wasn’t physical; the power of Projection merely changed how his target’s brain chose to interpret him. (Apparently it had something to do with brain waves, but before «Heartseed» could finish explaining the process, it suddenly changed its mind and told him to “just go with it” instead.)

Because the Phantom Projection worked directly on the target’s brain, however, everyone else in the vicinity would continue to see him as regular old Uwa Chihiro... which meant he needed to be careful where and when he used his power.

“Can we talk?”

He could hear his voice being converted into Yaegashi Taichi’s after a slight delay. Everything he carried on his person, even his cell phone, would be visually converted into something Taichi owned—a replication so flawless, no one would ever be able to tell he was an impostor unless another person showed up.

Unfortunately, Chihiro could only use the Phantom Projection against the five second-year students in the CRC. It was a limit placed on him by «Heartseed» itself.

“...Sure,” Nagase replied after a moment of hesitation, probably because things were so awkward between her and Taichi at the moment... all as a result of Chihiro’s clever plan.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?”

“Not this again...” Nagase scowled. “I mean... not that I’m opposed to talking about it or anything, you know? Obviously it’s fine. It’s just... This really isn’t a great time to ask me about that stuff, and I feel like you’re usually smart enough to take the hint.”

“I want to know,” [Taichi] said firmly. The conversion would match whatever emphasis Chihiro put into his words, so he (Taichi) must’ve sounded pretty insistent to Nagase just now.

“Like I said... I...”

As it turned out, Nagase Iori was particularly susceptible to peer pressure. Normally she was a reckless wild card, acting of her own free will... or so she seemed. But though she was generally assertive towards other people, for some reason she couldn’t handle being on the receiving end of the same behavior. Most people hadn’t realized this about her... but Chihiro had.

She fell silent.

Here in a public space, he couldn’t risk Projecting for long periods of time.

“On second thought, forget I asked. I gotta go do something... See you later.” And with that, [Taichi] walked off.

He saw Nagase start to say something, but he ignored it.

In order to cancel the Projection, he needed to convince his target that the Projected individual had left their presence. So, once he rounded the corner down this hallway, he would disappear from Nagase’s sight, and the Projection would then come to an end. Were he to walk back over to her after that, she would see him as Uwa Chihiro.

He turned the corner... and his mission was complete.

Love, friendship, love, friendship. Blah, blah, blah. Don’t these people ever give it a rest?

□■□■□

During the break between second and third period, a fellow Green Team cheerleading representative from 2-D paid a visit to my class (1-B). Evidently there’s going to be a rehearsal during lunch... and we’re obligated to attend.

“This sucks...” Shimono mutters as he sits in front of me, leaning back onto my desk.

“You’re in my way,” I scowl, prodding Shimono’s head until he sits back up.

With messy hair and plastic black-rimmed glasses, Shimono is (as far as I know) a fairly talented guy in sports, studies, and even fashion... but his utter lack of motivation keeps him scraping the bottom of the barrel.

“All this Sports Festival crap is sooo lame... I mean, at least we won’t have class that day, but now we have to waste weeks rehearsing this cheerleading crap? It’s stupid! No, that doesn’t say it—it’s alllll the way stupid!”

“If you ask me, it can’t be any stupider than you,” I retort.

Just then, I hear someone behind me laugh... and turn to find Enjouji Shino standing there, her hands clapped over her mouth, “oops” written all over her face.

“What do you want?”

“N-Nothing!”

“Nothing, my ass.”

“Urk...”

“Spit it out already.”

She looks like she’s ready to bolt. Then again, she’s so small and poofy, maybe a stiff breeze would do the trick.

She stares shyly at the floor, her lip quivering. “Sorry, Chihiro-kun... I mean, Uwa-kun!”

Didn’t you promise not to call me that in class? And don’t think I didn’t notice that giant pause!

Enjouji paused to clear her throat, then continued, “Anyway... I just thought what you said was... funny, you know...”

“I don’t remember anything funny. Eavesdropping, were you?”

“No! I was just passing by! And trust me, you were funny!”

Not sure I get your sense of humor, but okay.

“What about me? Was I funny, Enjouji-san?” asked Shimono.

Ugh, don’t go there.

“Y-Yeah... you know... your ‘alllllllll the way

stupid’...”

“See, Uwa? Unlike you, Enjouji-san sees me for the comedic genius that I am!”

“I think you misheard her, Shimono. Pretty sure all she said was ‘you’re all the way stupid.’”

“Wh... Me?! All stupid?! I beg to differ, good sir!” Shimono scoffs in a joking voice.

But all he receives in return is a forced laugh from Enjouji.

An awkward tension hangs in the air. The joke bombed, and there’s no recovering it. Even Shimono looks uncomfortable.

I need to get rid of her, fast.

“Look, Enjouji, did you need something or what?”

“Oh! R-Right! I was on my way to return the notebook I borrowed from Tomomi-chan... So yeah, umm... Bye.” With a dutiful bow of her head, she heads off to the front of the classroom.

Shimono watches her go with a playful grin. “She just called you Chihiro-kun. You guys are an item, aren’t you?”

What a stupid question... Standard fare with these types. Maybe there’s an unwritten rule that says you have to ask that, and Shimono is just following the social code.

“No, we’re not an item. Everyone in my club calls me by my first name, that’s all.”

“Really now...” Shimono fixes me with a skeptical smile, but doesn’t press further.

He may be a rule-abiding drone, but he can take a hint, and that’s why I tolerate him.

“Y’know, I think Enjouji-san would fare a lot better if she grew a backbone. She’s super cute and all, but she feels less like girlfriend material and more like a pet.”

“Oh, is that your fetish?”

“Hey, look at that! You actually made a joke for once!”

I wasn’t joking. I was mocking you.

“Anyway, I gotta say...” Shimono scans around the classroom, and I follow suit. “Feels like the whole class is gender-segregated, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” I mutter in agreement.

The other students are all busy occupying themselves during their break period, some by themselves, others in groups of two or three. But not a single one of those groups features people of the opposite sex interacting with one another.

“It’s just break period, though. Isn’t that kind of normal?” I ask.

“I dunno... I feel like it couldn’t hurt to mix things up a little more... Oh, but we were just talking to Enjouji-san, weren’t we? Maybe that could spark a revolution!”

“And you’re going to lead the charge, is that it?”

“Nope.”

“Then I guess it’s not happening, is it?”

“Well, what about you? You know her better than I do! You take the initiative, and if all goes well, I’ll follow your lead!”

“And if I crash and burn?”

“I’ll always remember you!”

“So you’re just going to watch me fail? Looks like it’s not happening, then.”

“Aww, c’mon! Just give it a try, Uwa! If you pull it off, I’ll be right there with you!”

Shimono’s lazy, but his blunt honesty wins points with me. Not like I’m some goody-goody myself, anyway.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the classroom door slide open, and a tall guy walks in.

“Hey, Tada!” Shimono calls out. “Cheerleading rehearsal! After school! Today!”

“Dude, what?! Since when?!” Tada wails dramatically. With his medium-length bleached hair and jangly bracelets, it’s obvious he thinks he’s hot shit, but he’s actually a pretty cool guy once you get to know him. He strikes me as the leader type, but according to him, he prefers to “goof off in the background.”

“Seriously, bro, you’ll never guess what they told us just now.”

“You just told him...”

“Aww, thanks for the snarky quip, Uwa! Seriously though, why do they keep making us do this rehearsal crap?! Can’t we just wait until the week before...? Man, this is why I didn’t wanna do cheerleading...” Shimono grumbles like a middle-aged man at a bar.

“Cheer up, buddy! Now we’re brothers in arms!”

“Nooooo! I don’t want your unluck to get on me!”

The two of them laugh at their own little comedy routine. It’s so stupid, I find myself laughing with them.

“Oh yeah, so what shows did you guys watch last night? I’m guessing you saw—”

As Tada changes the subject, my attention wanes and wanders, and the conversation between him and Shimono fades into meaningless babble—inconsequential background noise that slowly drifts away, fated never to produce anything of substance. Meanwhile, they don’t realize I’ve tuned them out.

This is the stupidity of the world I’m in.

But fortunately, life’s gotten a bit more entertaining as of late.

□■□■□

A few days passed as Chihiro completed the “test drive” of his newfound power. At this point, he’d used it at least once on each of the second-years in the CRC.

At lunch, after he’d eaten, he went out behind the school building, hid behind a tree, and waited for his target to arrive. Sure enough, there he was: Aoki Yoshifumi. Time to find out if he actually walks the talk.

“[Aoki Yoshifumi’s current crush],” Chihiro declared, projecting his voice so Aoki could hear him despite the slight distance between them.

At this, Aoki turned... and broke into a derpy grin. “Hiya, Yui!” Evidently the Projection had succeeded.

Because the Phantom Projection used the target’s own perceptions to create its hallucinations, specific names weren’t required to trigger it. At the same time, however, this meant he couldn’t transform into anyone the target didn’t know personally, nor anyone the target strongly believed was gone forever, i.e. dead people. Also, he had been cautioned not to create a logical paradox in the target’s mind; apparently that would cause issues of some sort, though he wasn’t privy to the details.

Looks like he really does have a crush on Yui-san... Would’ve been funny if it was someone else.

“What’s up, girl? Why’d you wanna meet out here?”

Here they were, out in a deserted part of campus generally designated for confessions of love, and yet he showed no signs of nervousness. His tone was casual. Was he intentionally acting normal in order to help Yui feel at ease? Unthinkable. He wasn’t that smart.

“Oh, um... well... you know...” Chihiro hesitated slightly. He knew the Projection would automatically convert his pitch and manner of speech to Yui’s, and yet he couldn’t help but worry that his deep, masculine voice would somehow leak through and blow his cover. At the same time, however, he’d look like a dumbass trying to hold a conversation in a falsetto voice.

Aoki gazed lovingly at [Yui], and Chihiro tried not to gag. On the off-chance anyone walked out here, they’d see two dudes making eyes at each other... Enough! Focus!

“I have a favor to ask.” He was so hyper-conscious of his voice, it slipped up a few octaves.

“Sure thing! You need somethin’, I’m your guy! Anytime, anywhere!”

It felt like Aoki was genuinely ready to do literally whatever he asked. His blind faith made Chihiro uncomfortable... but at the same time, he was curious to see just how far Aoki was willing to go.

“I can’t really go into detail, but I need to ask something of you. I promise it’s for a good reason... Can you help me?” [Yui] (Chihiro) asked in his normal tone of voice.

“Anything at all, you name it!”

“Okay... Could you stop talking to me for a while? Completely? Until I say otherwise? I swear, there’s a really good reason for this—I just can’t tell you what it is. So from now on, even if I try to talk to you, could you find a way to ignore me? Not blatantly, just casually.”

“You want me to... ignore you?”

“Yeah.”

Aoki stared blankly back. No surprise there, of course. It was a request that seemed pointless... probably because it was pointless.

“Obviously it’s not that I don’t want to talk to you ever again or something like that. There’s a reason for it, honest. And once it’s safe for you to talk to me again, I’ll invite you back here and tell you in person... so can you do this for me?”

Silence descended between them as Aoki fell into thought, staring at the ground. “Man, I dunno... This is me we’re talking about... It would take a lot of effort...” he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Chihiro was having second thoughts. It was a stupid request, any way you looked at it. No one would possibly agree to—

“Okay, I’ll do it!”

Seriously? Chihiro retorted silently.

“I just need to pretend to ignore you, right? Piece of cake!”

“Huh? Oh, uh... yeah.”

“Real talk, I don’t get the point of this literally at all... but since you’ve asked, I promise I’ll make it happen, 100%! Kick back, relax, and leave it all to me!” Aoki thrust out his chest proudly, without a trace of his earlier hesitation.

It was overwhelming... in the most cringey way possible. What moron would agree to such a bizarrely unfathomable request? What utterly incomprehensible planet did he live on? Sickening.

Sometimes it felt like these people were living in a perfect world... but Chihiro didn’t want to be part of it. They were all far too disconnected from reality.

After school, Chihiro raced to the clubroom ahead of the others. A few minutes later, Yui and Taichi walked in.

“Oh, hey, Chihiro-kun beat us here! That’s like a first!” Yui remarked cheerfully.

“So? What are you smirking about?”

“Oh, come on! You know I’m hoping you’ll totally fall in love with the CRC like I did!”

“At no point have I said I liked this club.”

“Yeah, well, your actions beg to differ, buddy!” Yui insisted, pointing her finger in his face. Her shapely brow arched even higher, further accentuating her already upturned eyes. Given her small stature, however, she wasn’t intimidating in the least. If anything, it was cute.

“So you’re just making assumptions about me?”

“Damn right I am!” she declared. What a spoiled little princess.

“You two really get along, huh?” Taichi mused.

“No we don’t!” Chihiro and Yui snapped at the same time, causing Chihiro to wince. Yui, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice or care... and somehow that made him feel worse.

“Anyways... Today feels like it’s gonna be a good day, you know?” Yui commented.

“What are you talking about? It’s already almost over,” Taichi replied.

“I know that! I’m not stupid!” she shot back.

Yes, today’s shaping up to be an interesting day indeed, Chihiro agreed silently.

“What’s so funny, Chihiro-kun?”

“Huh?! Oh, uh, nothing,” he blurted out hastily, turning away to escape Yui’s pretty eyes gazing into his.

One by one, the other club members showed up... Then, finally, Aoki walked in.

“Sup, guys! Sup, Yu—mmmgghpphh?!” He let out a weird yelp as he clapped both hands over his mouth.

“You’re being creepy again,” Inaba remarked idly.

“At least try to act startled, Inabacchan! Don’t talk about it the way you talk about the weather!”

“Not sure anyone’s surprised anymore... Right, Shino-chan?” Nagase joked.

“Yeah, he’s always creepy.”

“I get it, okay?! I’m sorry!”

“Good grief... What’s your problem? Seriously...” Yui sighed.

Silence. No response.

Confused, Yui looked over in his direction. Meanwhile, he quietly took a seat on the other side of the table. An awkward tension hung in the air as everyone stared at Aoki.

“What was that about, anyway?” Taichi asked finally, breaking the silence, and Aoki could scarcely conceal his relief.

“Oh, well... I almost broke my promise out of sheer habit... but at least I stopped myself! Guess I need more practice!”

“What are you even talking about...?” Taichi retorted.

Just like that, the mood in the room went back to normal, and everyone launched into their own individual activities. Meanwhile, Chihiro stared at his hands, biting back a snicker until he could bear it no longer.

“Pff...”

Afraid the others would notice, he tried desperately to wipe the smirk off his face, but he couldn’t. It was just too funny. He’d only suggested it to Aoki on a whim, and yet here he was, all too eager to comply. Oh, the hilarity of sheer idiocy.

Not only that, but to think Chihiro himself had made this happen of his own volition... What a thrill. With this, he would never again feel inferior to another human being.

“Chihiro-kun...?”

Startled, he snapped back to reality and turned in the direction of the voice. It was Enjouji.

“Wh-What?”

“Oh... um... I saw you shaking and staring down at the floor... so I got kinda worried...”

Meanwhile, Taichi was mediating a squabble between Nagase and Inaba.

“Oh, that... It’s nothing.”

“...Okay...” Enjouji nodded slowly, but didn’t entirely seem to accept this, as she continued to glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

A chill ran down his spine. Surely there was no way anyone could possibly discover his secret.

But then Yui turned in Aoki’s direction, and Chihiro pricked up his ears. Nagase had dragged Enjouji into the scuffle between herself, Taichi, and Inaba, which meant no one else was paying attention to Yui and Aoki except him.

“Hey, Aoki? About that thing in gym class earlier today...”

There was a pause... one that steadily grew into an extended silence as Aoki failed to respond.

“Um, Aoki—”

“Be right back, folks! Gotta take a leak!” Aoki announced as he jumped to his feet and hurried out of the clubroom.

“Aoki...?” Yui moved to reach out for him like an abandoned child begging for its mother—but stopped herself. Between the long strands of glistening coppery-brown hair, Chihiro could see her wounded, mournful expression.

Why did she look like she was on the verge of tears?

At the dojo, she would always, always complain about him. Constantly. Aoki this, Aoki that. I can’t stand Aoki. Aoki’s so obnoxious. She talked about him so much, it was a wonder she didn’t bore herself to tears.

In the end, I guess she—

Well... not that it’s any of my business.

□■□■□

Near the end of club activities, I tell everyone that my mom wants me home early for the next couple weeks, then leave campus ahead of them. I take the train to Inaba Himeko’s station, then wait to ambush her just past the turnstiles.

Once I catch sight of her, I wait until no one else is within earshot, then announce:

“[Inaba Himeko’s favorite person in the world].”

“Huh? Taichi?” Inaba accepts me as [Yaegashi Taichi] without a second’s delay. “What are you doing here? I thought you went home... D-Did you miss me or something...?” She promptly draws her own conclusion and begins to swoon.

Yui’s always raving about how smart Inaba is, but personally, I can’t begin to fathom why. Randomly, I wonder to myself just how far she and Taichi have gone.

“Say, Taichi, since you’re here, why don’t you come over and—”

“Let’s break up.”

All told, I was planning to ease into it a little more slowly, but when I saw the joy on her face, it made me want to crush her in one strike. I want to hurt her.

“...What?” Inaba freezes, her smile growing stiff.

At once, Yui’s mournful face floats to the forefront of my mind. Why? Yui has nothing to do with this. All of my Phantom Projection plans are going perfectly, so by all accounts I should be proud of myself... and yet for some reason I’m weirdly frustrated.

As [Taichi], I imagine myself extracting all his worst traits and distilling them down into a monster... and then I skewer her.

“You’re obnoxious, and frankly I’m sick of you.”

“...What?”

She gets a look on her face like the world is ending, and that’s when it hits me: with this power, I can make the world end for someone, and that makes me a god. So why am I letting myself get riled up by lesser humans? I have bigger fish to fry. I need to aim higher.

“Just kidding,” I tell her.

“Wh... That was... a joke...?”

“Yeah, of course. Tai—I would never say something like that. Forget I said it, alright? And please don’t bring it up tomorrow.”

“Oh... okay... right... yeah...” Inaba murmurs to herself, her expression a conflicted mix of relief and pain.

“That’s a promise, okay? Anyway, I gotta go.”

“Huh? Oh, right... S-See you tomorrow!”

And with that, I disappear from sight, all without once looking back.

Turns out your perfect, unbreakable bonds can start to crack with just a single word. Human connections are fragile; they never last. So why cling to them? It’s stupid. You’re all stupid. Especially her.

I always believed this world was worthless. Everywhere you look, all you see are sheeple, gripped by preconceived notions, with pointless rules railroading them along... and I had long since resigned myself to the same fate.

But now I’ve been chosen. Now I have power. And now I know the truth:

This world is the ultimate game.

Wouldn’t you agree?