Chapter 01 – To Survive is?
Sounds of the clasping blades envelope the whole area, the castle was very quiet. No traces of its owners, the gasps of the two females fighting with their swords are the only sounds you can hear. The longhaired girl – Kojima Haruna crossed her throwing knives as her foot dances along with her movements. She defends herself from her opponent who kept jumping up and spinning in the air, trying to kick her on the face.
“Give it up Jurina, you’re a coward!” Haruna grabbed her rifle from her back and used it as shield, throwing her Majou-sen, her throwing knife on her opponent, Matsui Jurina who’s still in the mid-air trying to kick her upper body to make her lost the balance. As fast as a thunder, the blade passed on Jurina’s face and left her a wound.
“No, I’m not!” She grabbed her Answeller, her two-handed sword that she’s been carrying for awhile now, it’s really unbelievable that she managed to jump high with that big sword on her back, it’s a modified cloud sword after all.
Two ladies battling for the success, this was the first battle in the Survival game that the management made them play. This was just the first day, you’ll be given a big reward if you finished your opponent by one day, if it’s hard for both of them to kill each other, they will do it for the sake of the prize that was waiting for the winner.
Playing her knives around her fingers, Haruna was jogging backwards to evade Jurina’s swinging blade. The sword is like controlling Jurina, like Jurina was the weapon, not the wielder.
Jurina swung the sword as if she’s being one with the wind passing through Haruna, a part of her hair got cut-off. Breathing heavily, her hands hardened as fists, made her knives ready to be thrown. “Nobody messes with my hair.” Dashing forward, she made her arms dance with the knives she was holding.
What she is doing, what’s happening, it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s just to finish the girl that destroyed her treasure. Jumping in the mid-air, she kicked her face numerous times until the shorthaired girl fell on the ground, she grabbed her rifle, Steyr AUG A1 and pointed it to Jurina and changed ammos.
“Iron bullets or Tranquilizers?” She smirked when the shorthair gave her an agonizing look. “Then, iron bullets here we go.” Haruna pulled the trigger after pinpointing her weak point that can cause her death. The blood splattered everywhere in the castle’s ballroom as she shot her in the forehead, with the rifle’s mouth girded on her forehead, she died with her eyes open.
The girl felt a slight guilt inside her. She killed a teammate, she killed someone who’s been with her years already.
‘to survive, means to throw it all.’ --
“Jurina…” the SKE members are lamenting over their center’s death. While Rena and Yuria, are still quiet.
“Rena... Why aren’t you saying something? Jurina just died…” Suda Akari was knelt on the floor while holding Jurina’s cold lifeless body.
“We don’t need to lament over a useless death.” Rena whispered. “Because to survive is to betray ‘em all.” Yuria leaned on the ballroom’s pillar and crossed her fingers.
“What are you saying?” Sae grabbed Rena and Yuria by the collar. “Our friend just died, Jurina’s not a puppet! She’s our friend, our comrade!” Sae pushed them into a corner, the two just emotionless and staring at her blankly.
“If you can’t ignore her death, then you’re weak as heck.” Yuria removed Sae’s grasp from her collar and walked away.
“You can’t survive if you can’t treat the deaths as trash. This is just the first death, what more if all our teammates get killed?” With her hand getting shaky, Rena walked away.
“What happened to them?” Akari watched the two girl’s figures fade away. Those two seems to know more about this game, she thought. With tears running down her cheeks, Kimoto Kanon wiped them. “It’s okay to cry, don’t worry we’ll avenge Jurina and we’ll show those two what real strength is.” She too is just stopping her tears.
“Everyone, let’s go. The clean up team has arrived.” All of them walked away in sadness, they knew they wouldn’t forget Jurina.
--
“Kojipa, are you sure you’re all right?” It was Yuko on the phone, Haruna knew that bringing phones in this ‘trip’ is forbidden, but since she knew she won’t last a day without a phone, she brought it secretly, hidden in her sanitary materials, and t-shirts, Haruna knew no one would notice, even their General Manager, never noticed.
“Yes. I just kinda felt uneasy after I killed Jurina.” Haruna laid herself on her bunk, by tomorrow, the second pair for battle will be chosen. She just wishes it wasn’t her since she doesn’t feel that well after killing a person for the first time.
“Kojipa, take care of yourself. I don’t want to lose the person I’m going to marry.” Yuko was laughing on the other line.
“Hey! I haven’t even said yes.” Haruna smiled, this girl could surely lift her worries up with her voice and her words. She is the very special person in her life.
“Well, I gotta hung up. Your phone might lose battery. I love you.” They both hung up and Haruna was left alone again. She was facing the wall on the side of the bunk she was laying. “What kind of game is this?” she muttered.
“Why did the management fooled us into going to this trip?”
“Why…?” her hand balled into a fist. She was looking at her fist the entire time.
--
“Maachun, how are you?” Yamamoto Sayaka asked her friend, Ogasawara Mayu. It was obvious why she asked her the question. “I’m alright. Right now I’m eager to win this fucked up game, I have to go back alive to Ripopo. Or else, I might never be able to tell her about this selfish feelings.” The older girl’s eyes widened. She quickly got a read of the situation; she knew as the captain, she should try to meet her member’s expectations.
“Maachun, if ever we become opponents, I’ll make you win. Even if you have to kill me or what.” Sayaka smiled at Maachun. “Eh? Are you serious?” Mayu’s voice suddenly turned slightly nervous, should she be happy or not?
“Yes,” Sayaka gulped. “I have nothing to live for anyway.” She stood up and left Mayu in the open-hallway.
‘I hope I get picked… I want to die now… I’m so scared…’ Sayaka’s hands became numb she’s scared. “It’s better to die than be punished…” she curled up into a ball when she arrived in her room, she was lying on her bunk.
--
“Miru, what do you think we need to survive this cruel world?” Yagura Fuko and Shiroma Miru is lying on the grassland outside the lodge that the NMB members and SKE members are staying in.
“I don’t know. I don’t seem to remember how the heck did we enter this kind of world. All I remember is, they somehow made us enter a giant fitness ball-like figure. After that there is nothing that I could remember. I just woke up inside my room. Beside my bag.” She chuckled.
“I think, to survive, we need to trust no one but us…” Fuko held Miru’s hand very tight. “To survive is to betray them all, eh?” Miru kissed Fuko’s slender hands, “I’ll betray everyone but you.” They both whispered.
--
“S-Sasshi-san, is it alright if we all slept in the same room?” Anai Chihiro was with all the HKT members when they went to Sashihara Rino’s room. Rino was also, of course, stressed of the sudden turn of events. A happy trip became it’s parallel.
“Y-yes, it’s alright!” She nodded while hugging her pillow. It became more comfortable with her since she’ll be with the kids she loves.
--
“Y-Yamamoto… Sayaka..?” Mayu dropped the paper she was holding in front of the mysterious daily machine. Sayaka is the player that she is designated to kill, and Sayaka too, knows that she’s designated to kill Mayu. Looking at each other, the older girl gave the younger one a forced smile.
The members who got blank papers from the machine looked at the two of them.
Today’s stage was a rather scary stage; it was the forest stage. Sayaka started to pack her things to be used in her first battle. They have to fight because Haruna finished her fight with in a day, so they have to follow for the sake of the management.
The happening is being broadcasted in the whole world, the girls never knew.
At the start of the battle, Sayaka made sure that she’ll lose once she meets Mayu, she didn’t use any of her equipment, they are all hidden on her bag. Only her fist gear, the Shinsa Bakenutsu Sho or the Power Glove, is the only gear she wore.
“I got you!” She heard Mayu’s voice and footsteps, in the automatic timing, her hands moved as if the gloves were controlling them. “Maachun, look out!” The spike from her power glove torn her gear, she glared at Sayaka. “You big fucking liar!” she cussed.
“No! I-I…” The older girl started jogging backwards to evade her attacks. Sayaka knew that once her sword touches her, she’d die a painful death. “I’m going to win this and comeback alive to see Ripopo again!” She tightened her grip from the sword. Mayu started to move her Kenkonseki or
Lava Sword aimlessly. She’ll do anything to kill her, to kill her friend.
“Maachun!” She shielded herself using her Shinsa Bakenutsu Sho or
Power Glove. This time, Sayaka realized that she did something wrong, she lied to Mayu, and even to herself. She doesn’t want to die; she also doesn’t want to survive either. She lied on what she said to Mayu…
“Yes, I have nothing to live for anyway.” those words she said is a big lie.
“I’m going to kill you and skewer you alive! You fucking liar.” At this point she was still defending herself from Mayu, who is now on top of her while she is lying on the green grass of the forest, trying to build up her defense. “Mayu! I don’t want to be killed and I also don’t want to kill!” Tears started falling from her eyes. She doesn’t know what to do. Sayaka knew that if she loosens and tries to talk to Mayu, she’d be burnt alive and sliced into two.
“Looks like I’d have to die…” She said with a lower voice.
Sayaka heard a bullet fall from her bag. That’s right! Her gun!
When she pulled it while blocking Mayu with her left hand, the other girl also pulled her gun.
“I’m not going to lose.” Mayu pointed her Tokarev pistol at Sayaka, while she pointed her Sig SG550 rifle at her. “Maachun, let’s stop this.” I tried persuading her.
“No.” the only answer from Mayu.
“We can do this, we can get out of here without getting hurt!” Mayu pulled the trigger and one of the six bullets passed through Sayaka’s shoulder. “No.” she still insisted.
“Mayu-!” Another gunshot followed. Those were normal bullets; she knew Mayu only has modified tranquilizer bullets, so maybe she stole it from someone.
“Please. Listen to me.” It was the third bullet. The gloves made her hand move on its own again, it was about to pull the trigger. She tried aiming it in a different direction, but the sound of gun…
“MAYU!” it was shot directly to her heart. “H-Hey… Mayu…” she was shaking her body. She knelt there helpless.
--
“Yuko… I’m scared.” Tonight was another phone call from Yuko. When Haruna saw what happened to Yamamoto Sayaka and Ogasawara Mayu’s fight, she suddenly became scared, she noticed Sayaka’s expressions when she held the gun with her gloves.
“Scared of what?” The girl on the other line asked.
“These weapons might control me.” Haruna’s voice sounded quite frightened.
“No. I’ll pray to the gods to keep you safe. We kept a promise right? We’re going to be married on Belgium. So you can’t die. Even if they’re your friends, you need to sacrifice to win, and they are the sacrifices.” This was unlikely to be said by Yuko. Haruna was just surprised. “So, can you promise me that you’ll come back alive?” Yuko asked again.
“I’ll try.” Haruna smiled, hearing her girlfriend’s voice.
“Don’t try! Do it!” It sounded like she was cheering for her.
“I got it, I got it.” She chuckled.
“Yes! Oh, someone might see you using your phone. I’ll get going now. Bye baby!” She dropped the call.
“Tomorrow’s the next selection, Sayaka also won her fight today. I’m scared…”
--
“Hmmm… first two days, 2 casualties. This is getting interesting.” A girl was lying on the rooftop of SKE and NMB’s lodge.
“He~y! Don’t show up like that. The members might suspect us.” Another girl sat beside her.
“No one dares to come here except for you, me and one from the other two groups.” She sat up.
“Well, we should go back to our
own lodge.”
“Okay.”
--
This morning, Sayaka and Haruna’s eyes widened when they saw what they got from the daily machine. Those are not blank papers!
“Yabushita… Shu?” Sayaka crumpled the paper with her left hand.
‘Are they trying to make me kill my friends?’ she thought to herself.
“Minegishi Minami… Miichan..?” her hands became numb, this is what she’s scared about. “Y-Yuko… I need you…” she whispered.
“To survive is…”
[Ch.01 end]