Volu 2, Chapter 10: Solitude
Before my eyes was a ss of mops and furniture that had collapsed upon opening the door, sowhat blocking the entrance. I lowered my heavy head and saw a leg powerlessly thrown on top of the dusty floor. Its right knee was bleeding a little. My own leg... I wonder when I injured it.
My head began to catch up and went back through the mory of what I'd been doing. I lost myself in wanting to get away from that place as soon as possible and ran without any destination, then tripped in the hallway. I lifted my head and straightened my gaze, then looked around.
This was that first storeroom I searched with Kaito... He moved around the old desks, bureaus, mops, brooms, and buckets, leaving them piled up near the entrance. So getting in was fine, but getting out looked like a tight fit. But this was much better than the long gallery I'd entered repeatedly while running around, or one of the guest rooms. On the off chance they ca looking for , it would be hard to find here.
The first shock ca when the Mistress called the Doll Boy "Len," and it rely confused . I simply wondered, "Wait, why?" But as their conversation continued, my confusion beca sadness... and fear... and resentnt, and anger. All of my emotions were mixed, and I felt like I was going to burst from them.
Yet, when those emotions peaked, the intensity of them was suddenly gone, and I began to feel like I was watching a play - an ambivalent human drama swirling with love, hate, intrigue. My mind stopped thinking, and I admired the scene unfolding before ala a play. How much I wish it were only just a play.
"Ahaha... How cruel..."
My hoarse voice echoed futilely in the unoccupied room.
"Sobody... tell it's just a lie..."
I reached out to cling to sothing and touched only air. I saw a hand in my blurred vision. But it was just my own hand... there was only . No one would take my trembling hand.
I was sad. Regretful. Pained. Lonely. How miserable. I recalled the conversation I'd heard from behind the door piece by piece, and the intense emotions smoldering in my chest welled up to my throat, and I sobbed. I firmly held my mouth with both hands to keep from making any sound. But even so, my intense wailing that I must have wanted soone to respond to echoed in the empty room, only coming back to my own ears. The more severely I cried, the more hollowness it brought.
I had believed in the others unquestioningly as friends. I expected a hand to stroke my head as I wept all alone, a voice to scold for crying over sothing like that, a gaze to gently watch in silence, or delicious milk tea that would calm , but there was nothing like that... there never had been. The first-class actors who could manipulate every sense would not offer such consolation anymore.
I had never truly been a friend to those professionals. I hadn't even been betrayed; I'd just convinced myself that I had already beco their friend. Idiotic... What a foolish, miserable, impudent mistake. Not seeing how I could never beco a friend to them from the start, I made my own stupid assumption and prided myself on it.
"The lead role of this play will die, even if she says and does nothing. That's her fate... Because it's the law of this world."
Earlier, I tripped in the empty hallway while running. I always tripped clumsily, so I was sure it was just that once again. But I was wrong. Just how many tis had I felt the fear of death since coming to this world? The breaking stepladder, the fall down the stairs. Not to ntion the sword that ca down from above. The milk tea that was offered to with perfect timing: right after hearing the story about the perfect cri of the well-concealed poison. It all seed too unlucky. But they weren't just accidents; they were all planned, intentional events...
The star actress who suddenly disappeared - taboo words - she who died - the replacent of lead roles - ninth person - the karma of death - necessary death - to bring her back from the grave - Miku can't know the truth, or go back to reality - the completion of our objective - the mastermind's invitation - the sudden troupe audition - the dream I saw this morning - First nighT.
Now, the pieces of the puzzle were assembled... Everything I had felt doubts about finally ca together neatly to form a single story.
I had to sever myself from them - from the affection, trust, and bonds I felt. And I had to build resolve to fight against them. I had to think of a way to avoid things going to script, or I would be left all alone in this world to die...
All my sadness over being tricked changed to anger and hate. Just like in that Bad ∞ End ∞ Night. They were fighting, to the point of experiencing temporary death in this fictional world, to drive toward the death they desired. So I would have to be determined as well, and finish them off before they finished . This ti, I would have them perform the script I had thought up, without letting them realize I'd noticed the truth - and finishing this repeating play with a last act, the actors would step off the stage to applause.
Kaito said that the letter was important. Most likely, this was the End roLL, like I'd predicted. And using the End roLL, I could create a scene they didn't want - the lead being saved and being able to return to reality. And the things they tried to keep away from... They were likely related to the usage of the End roLL.
First, the wine bottle. When I searched the wine cellar, there was a single bottle that wasn't fake, with a bit of real wine left. Gack naturally diverted my attention away from the wine. I should have been very interested in this single non-prop bottle that concealed the potential to be used for sothing... but before I knew it, he was talking about wine in general, then switched things to an entirely unrelated topic. Maybe this would be the ink. Since when I spilled it on the blank End roLL, it glowed. Now for the other part...
I frantically went around my mories. As I searched for things hidden behind all the actions I'd witnessed since coming here, a particular scene ca back to . Rin was always in the hall, in front of the clock... Yes, the clock hands...! When I tried to approach them, she said it was dangerous, and her eyes threatened against coming any closer... I had to hurry and get those hands!
When I stood up, pain shot up my right knee. I took the handkerchief Luka gave out of my pocket and wrapped it tightly around my knee. It was faintly soaked with the blood which still hadn't stopped.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Behind my eyelids, I imagined another .
She arrived late to their eting and stepped into the dim room looking very apologetic. Everyone looked her over with so doubt and unease over how very late she was. She, too, looked like she was dying to ask the others sothing, a little curious about what she'd seen in those books in the library... Slowly, the air in the room grew tense, each party wanting to probe the other... She made a face full of unease, yet trusted them, and approached saying she'd found a hint toward finding the next page. Acting stupidly and easily-fooled, yes, like an audience mber... Her objective was to steal their script.
Yes, I didn't know a thing. Wholly ignorant of being number nine, the pitiful replacent, I would dance for them.
I hid the clock hands in my skirt pocket, held the wine bottle in my left hand, and with my open right, lightly knocked on the door to the study.
"Searching the stockhouse certainly took you a while. We were all waiting for you."
The Mistress sitting on the sofa nearest the door welcod with a concerned smile. Only slightly opening the extravagant wooden door, I stepped my foot into the room.
"Um... I finished checking the stockroom a little while ago. But I rembered sothing when I was searching the wine cellar with Mr. Butler. You said you'd rather drink beer than tea earlier, so I brought so..."
"My, so there's so left! I'm glad."
"...This is no ti to be drinking, all right?"
The Master scolded the rejoicing Mistress with deeper wrinkles in his brow than usual. I could interpret it as an expression with so unease; because the Villager had brought the wine bottle, a key to progressing the story. Coming inside, I went over to the wall on the right... toward the small table with the script. The armchair across from it was empty, so I was able to sit down there in a natural way.
Paying no attention to the script, the Villager looked fidgety about sothing else - she couldn't help but be curious about the things she heard in the library earlier... but she was pondering how to break the topic. The inhabitants, anwhile, were likely formulating a plan to steal the letter.
"Oh, did you find the page? Alas, I've had no luck at all. I haven't found so much as a scrap of paper..."
The Lady started things off. The word "paper" was intended to cause a breach.
"Yes, sa here! The kitchen had nothing but paper napkins for dining!"
"And the newspapers in the living room all had things written on them... Those won't do. To think so much effort would go into finding a single piece of paper..."
"But...! They do SAY things are alWAYS right under your NOSE! YahaHA!"
I knew that they were creating a natural flow of conversation to obtain the blank letter the Villager had. Starting with the Lady, to the Maid, to the Mistress, to the Doll Girl, they ford a perfect chain with no gaps. The usual Villager who knew nothing would surely be enticed by this to say "Oh, if it's a blank piece of paper, I do have one of those..." and pull out the letter in her pocket.
I only had one chance. To act out, as the uneasy, ignorant Villager... no, as the idiotic Miku who had the role of the Villager, the most natural response...
"I searched as hard as I could too, but... I just couldn't find it. It's a little bit depressing... But there's sothing I'm curious about... I was wondering, is this letter I have part of the script...?"
"...!"
I slowly produced the letter from my pocket. Their eyes stared with delight. But like hunters reaching for a trapped rabbit, they concealed their true inner joy, putting up expressions of fresh surprise and expectation as if it were the first ti ga were caught in that trap, then acted slowly and carefully to procure the ga without letting it get away.
"I... I didn't even consider that. Did you have that all along?"
"Yes. I forgot about it, but I'm pretty sure it was always in my pocket..."
I took the folded blank sheet out of the envelope and opened it up to show everyone. They watched with surprise like they'd never seen it before.
"I saw THAT too, in the HALL! It looked JUST the right SIZE! YAhahaHA!"
"Yes, a PERFECT fit! AhahaHA!"
"There's nothing on it, huh! Just paper... isn't it? It looks pretty faded, though..."
"The next page of the script is torn. And rather roughly, so there should surely be irregular tear marks along the inside edge. Indeed, it does seem that the size is just right... But if it's not the right thing, even attempting to use it as the next page would be dangerous..."
"...! Oh, I see..."
Convinced by iko, the Villager complied with her advice, looked down with a bit of despair, and stuffed it back in her pocket like she'd completely lost interest.
Imdiately, there was a very slight unrest in the air. "If we take the Villager's letter, it'll inevitably lead up to us having to test here and now if it can be used as part of the script or not... That's also rather dangerous... If we run out the ti limit, we won't need to take it by force, will we?" "We should steal it right now... She still has so unease... Who knows what she'll do next?" I could see those two viewpoints flying across the room wordlessly.
Not at all noticing this confrontation, the Villager was visibly depressed about her hopeful idea being useless, and while wondering how to ask everyone about what she learned in the library, the Butler spoke to her.
"...Perhaps we should at least give it a try. If only checking whether or not the size is indeed a match."
The others engaged in a wordless war stared at him in surprise. "Don't take a risk like that, what are you thinking?", I could almost hear the Master, Mistress, and Doll Girl scream. anwhile, the Lady and Doll Boy kept sending looks that said "Hurry up." Ignoring the silent bla, the Butler standing by the window picked up the script enshrined on the small table and brought it over to .
Casually standing up, I rested the wine bottle I was carrying against the back of the armchair, and while placing it carefully to keep it from falling, glanced at the route between myself and the door, confirming the distance. All right, no one there.
"No, hold on. Let's all take a look at this first..."
The Master strengthened his tone, and with the kind of worried smile one would show to a child not listening to you, ca toward with his long legs. The master of the mansion would never have his expression disturbed and raise his voice over such a minor thing. In hiding his internal worry, his act as the Master was crumbling. Demonstrating no notice of that fact, I took the letter back out of my pocket, and moved my hand to open the envelope. Heavy glances gathered on that hand.
I took it out slowly, bringing it halfway up to show it off tantalizingly. Then...
I slipped it back in and re-sealed the envelope.
In unison, everyone stared in bewildernt, seeming to forget about playing their roles. The ti was now - for the Villager to dance out as the lead.
"...No, you're right. If it's dangerous, maybe I shouldn't. Who knows what'll happen... And I was thinking, the script might have to proceed in the correct way... and this might actually be the End roLL, the last page. If that's true, we have to find the next page, don't we? Skipping over it and forcing an ending might not end this play properly... and it'll disappear..."
"Y-Yes..."
I put the letter in my pocket. The Butler stood in front of , the script laying in his hands, and just blinked, not grasping the reason behind the Villager's sudden change of heart. But they opted not to deeply question the thinking behind her surprising act; they were confident they'd achieved victory, and relief swept over the room. No doubts, worries, or unease, just relief and a bit of kindness - a nostalgic mood. And...
"Well, I'll be taking this, okay?", the Villager said with a smile.
Before anyone could react, I swept up the script in the Butler's hands - the script held out right before my eyes without any defenses - with my right hand, spun around, grabbed the bottle resting on the armchair, and dashed for the door. I tackled the door left slightly open without dropping speed, turned right down the hall, and sped toward the stairs. So taken off-guard, the others were unable to react promptly; I heard their footsteps quite a distance behind .
"Wait! Where are you going?!"
Gack was fast. And he was the closest to ... the nearest to the door. If I slowed down even a little, he'd quickly catch .
"This is mine! I am the star of the play, after all!"
"Miss Villager, wait! I apologize for unsparingly denying your idea!"
"Sigh... Enough of the act. I know everything! Your plotting... and the person you killed!!"
"?!"
As I reached the corridor and was about to hurry down the stairs, Luka shouted in a way resembling a scream.
"Wait, please! Stop! Calm down! What in the world are you saying?! Gyaaah, dooon't!"
"I'm the ninth person - soone's replacent, right?! ...She was going to be the lead... But she died, so I beca her stand-in! And now you want to kill to revive her, don't you?!"
"...?!"
Their voices repeatedly calling to stop ca to a halt. I couldn't afford to look behind . Only footsteps racing down the hallways echoed off the large hall's ceiling, further fostering this air of bloodthirst. My nonstop sprint soon had panting. Such a huge mansion...
Down on the first floor, I turned left, opened the door to the hallway behind the stairs, and made sure to shut it tight. I ran straight down the long hallway to my right. Slightly afterward, I heard soone opening the door I'd just closed. It's okay, at this distance... I can get away...!
As soon as I was about to flee to the basent down the spiral stairs behind the Twilight ∞ nighT painting - sohow, Kaito, Rin, and Len were already there waiting for . I quickly put the brakes on my full-speed legs.
"It's too bad, Miku," Rin said, looking like she actually did feel sothing was unfortunate.
I was sure I'd taken the shortest route from the second floor study to the first floor's forbidden room. Before coming to the study, I even checked all the passages, and simulated it repeatedly in my head...!
"Rember the forbidden room up above you and I searched? Yes, it too has a Twilight ∞ nighT painting hanging outside it, exactly like this one..."
"Pant... pant... No way...!", I muttered, breathing heavily. But the others who arrived before weren't out of breath at all. Because....!
"The secret stairs don't only go from the first floor to the basent. However, the stairs from the second floor to the first can't be opened from the first floor side..."
Kaito glanced behind him. I looked back there, and sure enough, there was a staircase leading up where there had only been a wall earlier. I completely overlooked it. Thinking about it, I should have noticed the possibility imdiately. Argh... Still catching my breath, I glared at the three.
"...If we've been found out, oh well. Still, you certainly did trick us with that hastily-made act. We were thoroughly fooled... Bravo, number nine."
"Gh..."
Len no longer had the cruel Doll Boy's unperishing smile, and was back to his usual blank expression that made it difficult to read his thoughts. The footsteps in the distance got louder; one set ca to a stop, then two more. Then, considerably later, the last person arrived. All seven surrounded .
"Gasp... pant... I caught uuup!"
"Sigh... g! You really are unathletic. So slooow."
"Y-You too, Miss Luka! Pant, pant... aren't you out of breath too?!"
No one tried to take the letter, script, and wine bottle right away. Keeping their distance, they seed to still be working out a strategy. I had my hands full with the script and bottle, so I couldn't easily take the letter out of my pocket. But wary after having been tricked already, they surrounded with a solid formation, and it seed they could subdue at any ti. I would have to look closely to make an opportunity. I had to focus my senses, and put on an act as subtle as putting a thread through the eye of a needle. First...
"I can't help feeling regret" - I was one step from being taken into their hands. The idiot Miku bit her lower lip, but trying to keep her composure, silently observed her foes' next move.
"...Well, what now? We'll sacrifice you, and exchange your death with hers - indeed, the woman I told you about then. You rember, yes? We all worked so hard to hide it. Our dear friend, lost before you joined the troupe... our star actress, suddenly gone... It rather piqued your interest, didn't it? Your intuition's quite sharp. It was planned for her, not you, to be the lead in Crazy ∞ nighT. And to bring her back, we've tried to kill you again and again in ways made to look like accidents... as you've learned. And until your death succeeds in the way this world desires it, the night will repeat endlessly.
"But what will you do, knowing that? By the laws of this world, the fate of her death is attached to you, which makes it easier for accidents to occur. Firmly-held swords will suddenly fall, stepladders will abruptly break, you'll fall down the stairs, you'll trip on nothing. Furthermore, you're of entirely average intelligence and ability. Versus the seven of us: sharp, capable, professional actors with far better insight than you. The odds are stacked against you."
"(There's one of us who's clearly inferior in physical ability, though...)"
"(M-Miss Lukaaa...!)"
"..."
I hated to admit it, but I couldn't reply; it was all true. I naturally tightened my grip on the wine.
"Hah... Didn't I tell you, that night? You have a fatal lack of insight. You don't understand your own worth. You're so wrapped up in yourself, you don't at all notice how others see you, their true feelings. So others can easily trick and exploit you. Well, you reap what you sow."
"...I know that!! I know so much it hurts... I understand the advice you gave . You pretended you were letting be less formal and more friendly with you because you accepted ... but it was just to fill with relief and affection so I wouldn't doubt you, wasn't it? And... all of you, you opened your hearts to right before and after act one. It was my first play, I was the lead, and for you, it was a play more important than any that couldn't fail... I thought you showed concern and gave encouragent to help make it succeed. But even that was just preparation to ensure that when I was sucked into this strange world, I would trust you as friends and wouldn't try anything funny...!
"Preparing a sacrifice and exchanging her for my dead predecessor... I don't know what kind of magic can do that, but it must be the work of the person who created this bizarre world. So you conspired to ask Burlet... no, you made a deal, didn't you?! You'd put on an amusing show for him to enjoy, and he'd revive the real lead in exchange! It all started when I was picked for the audition... No, earlier than that, when you suddenly put out the audition for a stand-in. Because a total novice, an average girl with no redeeming qualities, would never be picked by the Burlet Company for the lead of his lost play! Anyone could figure that out with a little thought... I could never be the lead! Ahahahahahahahahaha...!"
"..."
Miku's deranged laughing made everyone hesitate a little. There was nothing funny about it... but her dry laugh wouldn't stop.
"...Ahh. I looked up to you all that ti, barely managing to go to the theater daily on the wages from my job... until just half a year ago. It wasn't long ago, but it's already so nostalgic... I was chosen to join the troupe, and I worked myself to death trying to quickly catch up and et your expectations... But it was all useless... No, it was never necessary from the start... because I was just a disposable replacent."
I mumbled out these words like I was telling them to myself. The quiet rain of tears beca a small river, then increased in volu to an audible stream. The negative emotions wouldn't stop until they'd cried a sea.
"Yeah... I'm just a replacent! Number nine, her replacent, stupid, miserable, and pathetic...!"
"...That's right. You understand yourself well, huh?"
"Len! Don't talk like that... Hold on a mont, Miku. You have it wrong. We're really not doing this because we want to..."
"It's useless to smooth things over now, iko. Her eyes are verrry scary. She's found us out, so what's the point in hiding anymore? Yes, you're just a stand-in. Didn't I tell you before? The one who we did everything with, but suddenly left us... Yes, she died... In the theater, shortly before you joined. Pitiable, isn't it? It was because we cornered her... So we fiercely regretted her death. And then, a miracle occurred. We found we could bring people back by using soone else as a substitute... so we're trying to do it for her. And you... were picked as the sacrifice for it. That's the truth. Have all that?"
Luka's words stabbed in the gut. The truth was thrust in front of , and I understood it well enough, but my heart wasn't ready for the impact; my vision misted up with tears, and it got harder to breathe.
"...Oh, Miss Luka, you're being excessively harsh... Look, I'm not going to try and make excuses, but we didn't particularly enjoy tricking you, Miss Miku. At least believe that, okay?"
"..."
"When you say it like that, g, it kind of sounds like you're making fun of her."
"Miss Rin is right. You're inviting misunderstandings, Miss g. Causing unneeded trouble once again..."
"So, yes, you must realize. There's not even any ti left. No matter what, you lose."
"Haha... Co to think of it, Len... You gave blue roses. You wanted to revive her no matter what. So was the aning of those flowers your way of implying you entrusted with a miracle... with her revival...? Did you love that dead girl, I wonder?"
"...!"
The stream gradually settled, stabilizing to a calm, smooth surface. Sticking my head out of the water, it was moved only by slight ripples; the undulating was coming to an end. Now - ti to make so waves.
I gently put the wine bottle on the floor. A mont after everyone looked down toward it, I took out the clock's hour hand - the knife - concealed in my pocket, and ran over to the wall of a T-intersection in the hallway. Then I turned around. From this position, everyone was standing in the sa direction. A mont after I broke free of their encirclent, Luka and iko forrly behind hurried to the hallways left and right of the intersection, trying to surround again.
"Miss Luka, Miss iko! Don't move!! If you co closer..."
For an instant, everyone was astonished. Holding the script under my left arm, I reached out toward Rin - the nearest person - restrained her, and pointed the sharp, glinting edge of the clock hand in my left hand toward her.
"I'm serious. No one co any closer!"
An eerie silence dominated the scene. Everyone must have known the hour hand of the clock in the hall was a knife.
"...That's useless. Rin's a doll now. It won't do any good..."
"We'll just have to see if it's useless or not, won't we...? Heehee."
With a creepy grin, I gazed at the others. The small doll in my hand was trembling slightly, and I could feel her pulse.
"You're shaking... Unfortunate, huh, Rin...?"
"Stop! Miku, please! Let go of Rin!"
"When you'd kill without a care...? Ahaha."
"...!!"
"I'll be taking that wine bottle, too. I was supposed to drink it during act one."
Kaito picked up the wine bottle from the floor in his left hand.
"..."
"Kaito..."
"Might you tell us why you need this bottle? What were you going to do with it?"
"...I'm sure you don't need to tell you that, do you?"
"...I can't give this to you."
"You don't mind what happens to Rin, then?"
"Kaitooo..."
I put the knife right up against Rin's face, but Kaito didn't move. The unexpected situation made a little bit of unease ca back. If I tried to take it by force, he might pin down in return. Without the wine... I couldn't write the ending. What do I do? I had to think. Calm down...
"Stop with this foolishness, and give us the script."
Kaito stepped forward to close the distance. To incite more fear in them, I brought the sharp edge right up to Rin's eyeballs. Tears flowed from the Doll Girl's glass-like eyes. If she could cry even as a doll, surely stabbing her would cause major pain similar to that of dying in reality, I thought dimly in the corner of my mind. The sa pain I'd felt dying repeatedly in this world; I didn't rember any of those deaths at all, but they did. They rembered it all...
Huge tears poured from Rin's eyes, yet Kaito continued to approach. Deaths in this fictional world would just be fake deaths... so even if I killed them here, another night would co. So as much as it hurt, they could bear it knowing it was a lie... they wouldn't even fear death.
It seed that I, as the lead role, couldn't be killed properly unless the woman's death scene from reality were perfectly re-enacted. And they too wouldn't die from being stabbed with the knife, reviving for the next night. Since their mories remained, surely their fear of death would too, but they knew it was only temporary... So strong-willed Kaito could endure it and stubbornly proceed forward.
I let go of trembling Rin and turned the knife toward Kaito. But he still wasn't fazed at all. I couldn't hesitate any more. With the knife in my left hand, I tackled Kaito and reached for the wine bottle in his left hand with my right.
Just as it was almost in reach, Kaito lifted his hand up, pulling the bottle away. The red liquid inside shook up, and so flew behind him in a clean parabola. A dull shock ran through my left hand. The knife was stuck in Kaito's right forearm. Red blood danced before my eyes, mixing with the deep crimson of the carpet below.
"YAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Rin scread. Everyone was motionless, eyes fixed on bleeding Kaito. His face tightened in pain; he faltered and fell on his knee. After a brief mont, ti resud. Slipping to the side of the others running toward Kaito, I ran for the now-unguarded stairs leading underground.
"...Dammit! Wait!"
The Doll Boy responded promptly and chased after . But going down the stairs, the difference in our steps gradually widened the distance between us. The footsteps slowly got quieter, and I accelerated to reach the door at the end of the long stairs.
Right after heading through the heavy doors I left open, I put all my might into closing them and firmly barred the door with the wooden beam leaning against the wall. A few seconds later, I heard banging on the door behind . Looks like I made it. Through the door, I could faintly hear their muffled voices. Len and Luka, Gack, then g. Rin and iko were probably at Kaito's side. If all seven of them tackled it, they might be able to bust it open... It was heavy, sure, but a wooden door and lock weren't reliable. I had to achieve my objective before that happened...
I turned to face the coffins again. The thumping on the door from outside annoyingly continued. But there was sothing odd. When I listened closely, I thought I could hear that sound from inside the room, too.
The eight coffins were aligned in two neat rows. I ca to a stop in front of one, the one placed in the far back. I squatted down and put my ear to the high-quality wood. Thump, thump, thump - I could hear a sound inside, like knocking against the lid of the coffin. Was this the sa sound, coming from nowhere in particular, I thought I was imagining upon waking up in this strange world...?
Suddenly, an unknown fear welled up in . Could I really open these coffins? Imagine if a zombie ca out and attacked ... The knocking continued like soone was calling for help. I had no doubt; in this coffin was the woman they had hid away... the forr lead.
If they sought to exchange her death and mine, I would have to make her body impossible to exchange with. My only option was to make her die again, in this world, for good. I felt bad about it... But to borrow their words, it was inevitable given the laws of this world. So I told myself, scolding my body beginning to tremble. I was about to kill soone. But she was long since dead... Yes, she was really ant to be dead, so it was fine, it's fine... I'd seen plenty of blood since coming here, mine and everyone else's -
Blood...? That's right... Kaito was injured back there. Rembering the fresh blood, I closed my eyes tight to shake away that image from my mind. That was another thing I just had to accept. They had murdered again and again. Their whole goal was to exchange my death with the woman sleeping in this coffin... It was self-defense, really. I also questioned if a dead person could really be revived using a sacrifice... but I'd already spent all this ti sealed in this bizarre world. It wasn't strange to think it was possible.
I had failed to steal back the wine bottle. But after that earlier scene, I had a new idea.
I put my hand to my chest to check the ti. There were only about ten minutes left in the play. I'd calm down for a mont. I wouldn't forgive myself for making a mistake now because I was in disarray. If I failed here, all my efforts would be for nothing, my mories would be lost, and everything would begin again from the start. And with them keeping their mories, they'd continue tricking with more difficult nights still. Before the birth of the next ... that poor, poor . Here, this night, I would have to put an end to it all.
I slid the minute hand from my pocket into the keyhole on the coffin. Sure enough... a perfect fit.
As I focused myself to calm down, the banging on the door got louder; it seed the remaining three - Kaito, iko, and Rin - had arrived. They had all started charging at the door together.
"Miku!! Open up!!"
"Hey, please, don't open that coffin now! We'll tell you the truth, all of it!"
Smash - there was a sound of glass shattering outside the door.
"Hey, are you listening?! The wine bottle's in pieces now, and everything inside got sucked up by this absorbent mat. Now there's nothing left to use as ink. Give up and co out here!"
"Len's right, Miku! Even if you try to write an ending on the End roLL, you have to do it properly, or ti won't move... It's impossible to do it this ti! Look, I promise! Next night, we definitely won't leave you out! Pleeease!!
Rin scread bitterly, and seed to be crying. Her convincing act made my chest tighten briefly. But I couldn't let myself be fooled anymore. I had to calm down my shaken mind. I couldn't lend an ear to their kind words. They had taught the hard way that my greatest weakness was being too trusting of anyone, and too easily fooled.
By now, I'd had enough of this strange, sad night.
"No, it's too late. Too late for any of that. Heehee... Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
I had no idea if I was happy, angry, sad, or joyous. My wounded heart had exceeded its limits. After going through countless, mind-numbing repetitions of the sa night, it all ca to this scene. My mind forgot it all, but my body, my hand on the lid of the coffin, rembered that long, painful past well, and shook with delight.
I grabbed the minute hand in the coffin's keyhole and turned it left. The click of a lock opening echoed through the dark room. With a shrill creaking sound like a bird's cry, I opened the coffin lid.
"I fooound it."
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