-Crack!
A bullet flew and pierced through his brain. Kenji's head snapped back, a large hole appearing in the back of it. His eyeballs rolled back on their own. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, and a puddle of blood and brain matter formed where his body collapsed.
And so, Kenji died.
Instant death.
The AI in the simulation room made that judgment and terminated all the holograms. The robots that were approaching to confirm the kill disappeared like smoke, and the cover, the dirt, and the blue sky all vanished. Kenji's blood-soaked body also returned to normal.
Five minutes passed like that.
The unfocused pupils in Kenji's eyes returned to normal. As soon as he regained consciousness, he shot up from his spot and rubbed the space between his eyebrows where the bullet had hit. Naturally, it was fine. The back of his head, which had been blown open and spilling brain fragments and fluid, was also fine.
"Hah...! Guh...! ...Haa."
After catching his breath for a moment, Kenji let out a deep sigh and lay down on the floor. There was no one visible through the window, so there was no need to be considerate of anyone waiting.
'Is it a stamina issue?'
Kenji stared at the white ceiling and replayed the simulation from a moment ago.
Killing one and then dealing with the next went smoothly, but it became difficult from the third one. It was partly because he had lost too much blood from the minor wounds on his body, and partly because his stamina had dropped sharply midway through. It was so noticeable that his movements had slowed down, so there was no point in even mentioning it.
He gritted his teeth and somehow managed to kill six of them, but he was lynched and killed by the remaining four. Realizing that there was no hope in close combat, they had carefully sniped him from a distance, breaking his limbs first. Those bastards. It wasn't called the 'Hard' difficulty for nothing.
'Still, I've improved a lot since the beginning.'
When he first used the simulation, he was a complete idiot. He had learned how to handle a pistol at the shooting range, but he knew nothing about movement, senses, and so on. As a result, even when he only summoned three 'Easy' difficulty robots, he was horribly torn to shreds.
Compared to then, his progress now was nothing short of remarkable. Moreover, he had confirmed that he had a talent for combat and hand-to-hand fighting, and that he possessed animal-like instincts.
He didn't know if it was a talent he had even on Earth, or if it was something he had newly acquired after coming here.
How would he know when he'd never had a proper fight with anyone on Earth? He wasn't a belligerent person in the first place, and he had few experiences of even getting close to a fight.
"Should I head back for now."
Kenji tapped his stiff body and stood up. It was already late, and doing more simulations here would only hurt his body.
Although it was combat and pain through a simulation and not real, the brain that had to endure it was already fatigued. There was nothing to be gained from overworking it.
Kenji left the simulation room and announced his departure from the shooting range. As he was the last person in the building, all the lights turned off simultaneously the moment he left. It was a familiar sight, so Kenji yawned without much emotion and headed back to the kindergarten.
He was about to head back. If only he hadn't heard voices from a secluded alley.
"L-leader... what if we get caught by the Trinity students? Wouldn't it all be over then?"
"We can't just starve to death. There's no food left near our base. And they said it would be at least another month before the next supply drop."
"B-but, leader..."
"It's already dawn. The chances of being seen by anyone else are slim. So it's now or never."
"What are you doing?"
Kenji, who had followed the voices into the alley, asked. There, five girls were huddled together. One with a mask covering her face, one with wings like a Trinity student, one with mint-colored hair, and one with a bandage wrapped around her neck.
And finally, one who was rummaging through a trash can. Kenji took them all in and tilted his head.
"What are you looking for? Judging by the talk of starving, it seems like you're looking for food."
"...Princess. Get behind me."
The girl who was rummaging through the trash can hid the masked girl behind her. Then, she took out a mask that covered only the lower half of her face and put it on. Click. The sound of a gun's bolt being pulled back was heard.
"Wait a minute."
Kenji immediately showed his willingness to surrender by raising both his hands. Pride? He had none of that. It seemed impossible to retaliate or escape right now, so to hell with pride.
He shouldn't have come in here. He had acted too thoughtlessly. But it was impossible to turn back now. Even if he were to go back to the street from here, there was no way those girls would just let him go. With such murderous intent in their eyes, they wouldn't let him go easily.
"This is fucking scary, please spare me."
"...Leader. What should we do?"
The girl with the bandage said. Leader. The girl with the mask reacted to that and glared at Kenji.
"What's your affiliation?"
"The kindergarten."
"...Age?"
"Sixteen."
"Are you joking?"
"No, I'm serious."
"...No halo. You don't seem to be a student."
She stared at Kenji's face as if to memorize it, then pulled out a pistol, aimed it at him, and approached.
"Don't move."
He felt a chill run down his spine, but Kenji stood still and waited for her to approach. For a moment, he felt a phantom pain in his abdomen. The pain he had experienced as a child. The dangerous situation, the aimed pistol, and the fact that a girl was holding it reminded him of that experience.
"...Ugh."
Kenji's body tilted slightly. She immediately kicked his leg and knocked him down.
"Gack."
After restraining the fallen Kenji, she immediately began to grope his body.
It wasn't to satisfy any sexual desire. Since they had come all this way in search of food, they had to at least get something out of it.
All they had found in the trash can were rotten leftovers with maggots crawling on them and a few pieces of bread covered in mold. Eating something like that would hinder their next training session. If it were a rest period, they would have had no choice but to eat it, but not now.
But they couldn't just go on a looting spree in the Trinity autonomous district. If they were caught, it wouldn't end well. Madame might even personally step in and torture them. Why did you go out and cause a commotion when the time wasn't right, she would say.
That had to be avoided at all costs. She didn't care about herself, but she couldn't stand to see her squad, who were like family to her, get hurt. But she wasn't foolish enough to kick away an opportunity that had rolled right into her lap. He had come to them himself, and he wasn't even a student, so robbing him probably wouldn't cause much trouble.
"...!"
Fortunately, there was a small cookie pouch in his pocket. It was a pouch filled with cookies that Nagisa had personally baked. Kenji felt the pouch being taken from his pocket and apologized to Nagisa in his mind.
But the moment he thought that, the pouch was returned to his pocket. What? What just happened? Kenji rolled his eyes and stared at the girl in front of him.
"...It has the Trinity emblem on it. Taking something like this would be worse than not eating at all."
"But leader, we haven't eaten in a week. We've been surviving on just stagnant water for a week."
"..."
"It might be fine now, but we definitely won't last until the next supply drop. I don't care if I die, but the others can't."
The girl with the bandage said. Their leader glanced at the girl who had spoken, then let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.
"...No means no. Don't be a baby."
"But leader—"
"Shut up. I'll handle it."
Her blue eyes gleamed eerily. The girl who had been speaking fell silent.
Even though she had been rebuked, her expression didn't change. Her eyes were still unfocused, and her face showed no emotion.
She had spoken up on behalf of the group in the first place; she hadn't genuinely tried to persuade the leader. What good would it do to continue living by being persuaded like that? It would only be painful anyway. She just wanted to go back to their dwelling right now and stare blankly at the ceiling.
Still, her words about not letting the others die were sincere.
"Um..."
Just then, Kenji, who had been quiet, spoke up. Everyone's eyes turned to him. Kenji met their murderous gazes and smiled awkwardly.
"From what I hear, you all seem to be quite hungry..."
"Shut up. It's none of your business."
"Still, it doesn't feel right to just leave after hearing that. So, how about I go get you something to eat right now?"
"Why should we trust you?"
"I'll leave my smartphone and all my valuables here. I'll just take the card with money on it, so please wait here."
Kenji said sincerely. It was true that his life was in danger right now, but he couldn't just leave these kids behind.
It was common hypocrisy. A good deed done for his own peace of mind. But hypocrisy was still a form of good, wasn't it? It wasn't like he was losing anything, nor was he harming anyone, so it was a good deed.
'Did my courage grow from dying a few times in the simulation room?'
Kenji thought to himself and looked down at the girl in front of him.
"Would that be alright?"
I refuse.
It was the moment Saori opened her mouth to say that.
"Urp, uweeegh!"
The sound of retching came from behind the girl. She reflexively turned her head and looked back. The girl with the mint-colored hair, Hiyori, was chewing on the moldy bread and throwing it up.
The leader, Saori, widened her eyes, snatched the piece of bread from her hand, and threw it to the ground. Then, she glared at the teary-eyed Hiyori and roared.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"L-leader."
Hiyori wiped the vomit from around her mouth and looked up at Saori.
"I-I'm hungry. If I don't eat something, I-I feel like I'm really going to die. Look. The only thing I've eaten recently is water, so even my vomit is clear."
"..."
"Please... I don't care if I'm sick for a few days. I don't care if it's hard right now, just give me something to eat..."
"..."
"I'm struggling, big sister..."
Saori opened her lips to say something, but no words came out. Unconscious guilt, apology, resentment, and anger churned in her chest and stained her mind. The pent-up emotions were too much for a mere sixteen-year-old girl to handle.
"...I'll be back."
Kenji stood up. Saori couldn't stop him.
*
"Leader, it's been 30 minutes. Aren't we going back?"
Misaki asked. But instead of answering, Saori leaned against the wall and stared blankly at the dark sky. A night sky full of the moon and stars. A sight that could never be seen in the hazy sky of Arius.
Whenever she saw such a beautiful sky, she would reflect on her own situation.
Trinity General School, hailed as the preeminent academy of Kivotos, and the Arius Branch School, which had disappeared into history. The two schools, once one, now stood on completely opposite sides.
Here, instead of ruined buildings, there were bustling shops, and instead of stagnant water with rotting insects, there were plenty of water fountains.
Unlike the residents of Arius, who always had to think about survival, the residents here worried about what they would eat in a few hours. The students didn't try to kill each other, and the student council president considered the students as beings to be protected, not as pawns.
Every time she was reminded of these facts, Saori felt tears welling up in her eyes. And as she suppressed those tears, she always had the same thought.
'...It's okay.'
When this is all over. When the operation is finished, I can be happy. I can talk and laugh with everyone in the squad all night long, and we can drink something called alcohol and talk our hearts out. I won't have to be oppressed by adults, and I'll be able to live my life doing what I want to do.
What will everyone be doing then?
I hope Azusa studies hard and becomes a smart person. She's needlessly kind, so she'll surely become a wonderful person when she grows up. Atsuko likes to arrange flowers, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to formally learn flower arrangement and open a shop.
Hiyori likes magazines, so how about she becomes a magazine designer? As for Misaki... I think it would be best for her to fix her suicidal tendencies first. After that, let's help her find something she wants to do.
And I...
I...
...
What was I just thinking?
Saori turned to Misaki with dazed, unfocused eyes.
Ah, right. We came up to the Trinity district to find food from Arius. But we couldn't find any food, and we just met a strange man. He said he would go get food for us and left, and we were waiting, just in case.
Her dazed mind cleared. Saori's eyes sharpened.
"...Misaki, how much time do we have left?"
"About an hour. If we miss it, we'll have to survive here for at least four days."
"The entrance is close. Close enough that we don't have to rush. So let's wait for now."
"...Do you really believe he'll come back? He didn't leave anything behind, contrary to what he said."
"...It doesn't matter. Whether we go back now or later, we'll be starving anyway. I'm just choosing the option with the highest possibility."
"You still trust people after being betrayed like that?"
"..."
Saori didn't answer. Misaki didn't press her any further. Azusa, with her white hair shining, stared blankly at the ground, and Hiyori sniffled, tears streaming down her face. The masked Atsuko stayed by Hiyori's side, rubbing her back.
Ten minutes passed like that. Just as Saori's faith was beginning to fade, footsteps were heard from the alley. Along with it, the rustling of plastic bags could also be heard.
...Did he really come back?
She had a sliver of hope, but Saori didn't let her guard down. With a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other, she peeked her head out slightly to confirm the source of the footsteps.
"Ah, fuck. Why are there so many people out at this hour."
It was him.
His face was filled with annoyance rather than fear, and his clothes were covered in dirt and dust, but it was definitely him.
A man whose name she didn't even know. As soon as he saw her, he grinned and shook the bags in both hands.
"You waited well. Good girl."
Kenji said as he approached the squad. Don't treat me like a kid. Saori narrowed her eyes to say that, but the ecstatic aroma wafting from beyond the bags made her jaw drop.
A scent she had never smelled before in her life. Saori unknowingly swallowed hard. The other squad members were the same.
'Like puppies.'
Kenji, seeing the four people and one mask with sparkling eyes, explained the contents of the bags in his hands.
"This bag has gruel and porridge. From what I heard, it sounds like you all have empty stomachs, so just eat this for a few days. Endure it even if it doesn't taste good. If you eat anything else, your stomach will be upset."
"..."
"And this is chicken, pizza, and coke. I heard that even if you eat it after a few days, it will stay warm as long as you don't open it. The technology is amazing."
"...What are chicken and pizza? And coke?"
"...What?"
At Hiyori's question, Kenji frowned. But he immediately chuckled and explained each one.
"Chicken is chicken fried in oil, and pizza is a dish with various ingredients on top of baked flour. Coke is something you drink, and it will tingle your throat when you drink it. It's supposed to be like that, so don't be surprised."
"Ah..."
"This is a bag of medicine. Painkillers, analgesics, fever reducers, digestive aids, and so on. I've packed all kinds, so use them when you need them. Oh, and I've also put in bandages and disinfectant. And this bag is full of water bottles. It was heavy, so it was hard to carry. Be careful."
Kenji smiled brightly and handed the four bags to Saori. Saori accepted the bags with a dazed expression and muttered.
"...Why."
"Hm?"
"Why are you doing all this? We're strangers, aren't we? And we even tried to rob you."
"Ah, that."
Kenji grinned and met Saori's gaze.
"I just did it for my own peace of mind. You know how one of the reasons for doing volunteer work is to fill up mandatory hours? It's the same as that."
"..."
"Don't read too much into it. I didn't do it with any grand purpose in mind."
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Saori didn't avoid the hand that gently patted her head.
"If you need help later, contact me at this number. I'll come here."
"..."
She took the piece of paper with Kenji's number on it and nodded.
The first act of kindness she had ever received in her life.
It was sweet enough to be intoxicating.
But Saori grit her teeth and erased that sweetness from her mind.
Because everything was vain and empty.
This time would be no different.