Sugi Tapped

[Wham Yubeesling]

Find Takako, find Kayoko, keep them both safe.

Find Takako, find Kayoko, keep them both safe.

Those were the only words that had been able to run through Hiroki Sugimura’s head in the minutes that had passed since he’d finally been able to leave the school. The man who’d called himself their new teacher had left Hiroki the last person in the room, and by the time he’d obtained his bag and made it out of the school there was nobody in sight. He’d taken a moment to keep calm, try to steel himself for the trials that would surely lay ahead, and then he started walking. And then he started running. And then he started sprinting through the forest, head devoid of thought, instinct being the only thing determining where he placed his feet.

He knew that this panic, this thoughtlessness taking over him was not what would see him through any of this. He knew that this type of emotion was not what his sensei had taught him to let reign. How could Hiroki utilize what he’d been taught with all this clouding his mind? How could he protect Takako? How could he-

No. No. He had to keep his mind calm. He had to find Takako. Find Kayoko. Keep both of them safe. He had to-

He stopped. Felt himself forced to bend over, right as he reached the edge of the forest. Apparently running around for who knew how long was enough to even wear him out. He looked up. Saw… a place filled with trees and mesh wire. Reminiscent of farmland. Somewhere peaceful. Somewhere he could rest and hopefully clear his mind. Find his way down the road ahead.

So he moved forward. Moved past a couple of trees in an attempt to try and see if there was any sort of structure past this farmland. He didn’t see the shape in the corner of his eye until something slammed into the side of his head and he was thrown to the ground.

[Catche Jagger]

((Kayoko Kotohiki continued from Stood Up))

It felt like Kayoko had been running all night, bouncing back and forth all around the island.

She had acted impulsively. Again. Once she’d identified that there was no way to trust Chigusa, as big of a threat as she was, it had been such a simple matter of dealing with it. Kayoko hadn’t even needed to properly be there herself. But in dealing with Mimura, Kayoko had made a mess of things.

Kayoko been right in focusing on him. He was the most dangerous one there and clearly didn’t trust her, but she had moved too quickly, too aggressively. Seto had been on her side, and maybe waiting would have provided a better opportunity. Instead, she’d rushed for Mimura’s gun and everything went to hell.

In the end, Kayoko wouldn’t even be able to get much use out of the gun she’d gotten off of Mimura. Any extra ammunition remained in his bag, along with the instructions for its proper use. Without the bag, Kayoko was armed only with what ammunition remained loaded in the gun and the basic intuition of “aim and shoot,” so she’d simply shoved the gun into her bag, deciding she’d avoid resorting to its use until it was absolutely necessary or if she got her hands on Mimura’s bag.

Her mind was too occupied with thoughts of what may or may not have happened with Seto to consider further strategy. If the shots were indeed fatal, he would be her second in just one night. The fixation on him was silly. He had been kinder than the others, sure, and beyond that she’d seen him hurting, bleeding.

With Chigusa, it had been clean, separated from herself in a way.

However, any further thoughts on the matter ceased as a shadow seemed to appear from nowhere, standing directly in front of her.

Letting out a yelp of surprise, Kayoko swung her bag into the figure, all of her weight carrying forward with the attack and knocking her off balance. Though she attempted to right herself, Kayoko instead stumbled backwards, falling onto her butt.

Her breaths were deep and heavy as she quickly tried to collect herself. Looking before her, she was finally able to recognize the figure, now on the ground.

Kayoko’s body locked up.

It was Hiroki Sugimura who, if some rumors were to be believed, was dating Chigusa.

[Wham Yubeesling]

Instinct took over. As his body hit the ground he rolled over. In a second he was back on his feet. In two he was crouched down, knees bent, ready to strike. He scanned the area he’d just been, tried to search a glimpse of his assailant, and-

“...Kayoko?”

[Catche Jagger]

Kayoko stared back at the boy, not initially registering how he’d said he’d said her name.

“H-Hiroki…!” She tried to swallow back the shock of the moment and the fear that followed, taking a deep breath as her expression turned toward something more neutral, but still concerned. Caution was imperative.

“I’m sorry! I-I didn’t notice you and got startled! I didn’t mean to-” Kayoko began to explain, quickly starting to get up to her feet, before raising her hands upward in a show of nonaggression.

“I’m sorry..” She repeated, voice growing quieter as she lowered her head, though her eyes never truly left Sugimura.

[Wham Yubeesling]

Hiroki’s body wavered. Adrenaline had kept his body standing for the moment where he thought he’d need it, but now that the fog of tension had been cleared, the weight from his run through the woodland crashed down, all at once. He kneeled. Looked at the ground, for a second, panting for breath. It would be a risk to leave himself vulnerable, to waste time resting like this, but…

…But Kayoko was here. That was one person found. All he needed was Takako, and then…

“It’s fine. I’m alright.”

And then…

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

[Catche Jagger]

The warmth of Sugimura’s greeting was… wrong. Concerning, she decided.

At school he had played the stoic, always reserved, seemingly using as few words as possible when speaking with anyone but his closest friends. In all their time in school together, they couldn’t have interacted more than a handful of times and in all cases he had been as curt with her as he likely would be with any other vague acquaintance. And yet, the words “I’m glad you’re safe” came with such sincerity, rather than formal obligation.

He was playing at something, though she couldn’t tell what.

“Oh, um, I’m glad you’re safe too.” She echoed the statement, words accompanied with an uncertain, but apologetic, smile. Then, she noticed something on the ground a several feet to her right.

“Oh your bag! It must’ve- I’m sorry! Let me get it!” She spoke quickly, clasping her hands together in a show of contrition before rushing over to the bag and bending over it, back turned to the boy as she shuffled around, feeling and pulling for a good grip.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter what Sugimura was playing at. Kayoko knew how to act.

“It’s a little heavy.” Kayoko remarked with a hollow laugh, squatting lower.

“I’ve got it though!” She made sure to add quickly, waving off any attempt Sugimura might make to approach.

[Wham Yubeesling]

Kayoko told Hiroki she was fine, and happily handed him the bag he had dropped in the initial rush, and all the while Sugimura’s heart was breaking inside. Because he could tell. He could sense her aura. She was scared. Of him. Something about the way he was presenting himself was making her averse to all of this.

He had to fix that. Keep her here. Keep her safe.

"Listen, I…"

It was somehow still so hard to look her in the eyes directly. Was he…?

"If you want-"

He found his finger half the way up to tapping his nose. He stopped it. Resisted the impulse.

"I can try and keep you safe-"

[Catche Jagger]

After some more shuffling around, Kayoko managed to properly stand up and turn around to hand the bag to Sugimura before backing away a bit.

“There you go.” She spoke amicably as he took the bag, but it was clear that Sugimura wasn’t going to just let things end there. He kept stumbling over his words trying to spit something out, even as Kayoko took some steps back.

And there it was. Sugimura was insisting on keeping her near, so that she’d be “safe.” What was that supposed to mean? He’d spent years barely speaking to her and now she’d be someone he was eager to protect.

No, he wanted something. To lure her into a false sense of security?

“I’m fine, really. I’d just be a burden on you. You’re strong, a fighter. I… I should find my friends.” Kayoko began to turn away.

[Wham Yubeesling]

“You don’t understand.”

Keep calm. Keep calm. You can’t keep her safe if you can’t keep calm. Just… explain it. Let nothing go unsaid. Not in what could potentially be the last days of-

“I’ve been… I’ve been looking for-”

No. No. Keep calm. Keep her here. Keep her safe.

“I was… I was going to look for you, Kayoko.”

[Catche Jagger]

Kayoko stopped.

“…what?”

Then the bomb she’d placed in Sugimura’s bag went off.

[Wham Yubeesling]

"Listen, Kayoko, I lov-”

B11: HIROKI SUGIMURA: DECEASED
38 STUDENTS REMAIN

[Catche Jagger]

The explosion threw Kayoko to the ground, face down, driving the air from her lungs as the whole world spun around her faster and faster, her head throbbing as a ringing assaulted her ears.

He was lying.

Sugimura was lying.

They weren’t eleven years old, they were in their final year of high school. The idea that he- that someone would expect her to believe he’d fallen in love with her while barely saying a word to her was ridiculous

Kayoko hissed and sputtered as she drove her hands into the dirt, starting to push herself up, arms trembling as she did. With a groan of effort, she managed to push herself up onto her knees, looking around in front of her for her bag, which had been flung away when she fell.

She dare not look behind.

Soon enough, Kayoko spotted the bag, just a few feet ahead of her and a little to her right, difficult to pick out in the dark. However, though it would be an easy task to walk over and get it, Kayoko found her body heavy, her breaths quick and labored, though she remained at rest.

Whatever remained of Sugimura would be behind her, at least partially blown apart in a display of gore that Kayoko refused to see.

Her hands trembled.

She hadn’t looked at Chigusa or Seto either, but neither had been so close. Neither had crafted a lie that got under her skin.

Kayoko didn’t turn around.

((But she screamed, all the same.))