Slaughter (5)

Just before the couple of young teens landed their final blows against the sadistic Chizaki, an ambulance accompanied by a police patrol arrived at the Sakuragami academy.

*Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo -Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo - Wee-woo -Wee-woo -Wee-woo -Wee-woo -Wee-woo*

*Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw - Nee-naw*

“There!! I see him!!”

*BLAM!! BLAM!!*

*RUN… Step, step, step…*

“Ah… You finally arrived. This kid has been stabbed. He’s still conscious.”

*Poke*

“The kid is slightly injured. Not too deep a wound. His pulse is weak, but he will make it. The blood loss is still not critical. Help me get it in the ambulance, novice.”

“YES, MA’AM!!”

“Then…”

*Stand up*

*Step… step… step…*

“You two are the reinforcements sent by the police station?”

“Sub-inspector Kaizaki!! Why is your face covered in blood?”

“Don’t you worry about me. Just stay here and protect the paramedics. After you escort them to the hospital, I need you to come back again to assist me.”

*Step… step… step…*

“Where are you going, Kaizaki-san?? They need to treat you too!!”

“Where do you ask?? He!! I’m going to…”

*SERIOUS STARE*

*FIERCE DETECTIVE STARE*

*CRITICAL NOSEBLEED COOL STARE*

…

…

“…solve a personal matter.”

*MATURE STARE*

HE!! Why the hell am I doing the same stare as Yamazaki-san!!!????!!! And why am I smiling???!!!? It may be that a blood-clot made its way into my brain and I started to lose my mind???!!! Aaaahhh!!! I need to find Yamazaki-san soon and clarify all of this!!!

****

The moon was so gorgeous that night. The girl I’d liked for years and I were spending the night at the school while our classmates were sleeping and resting to take part in tomorrow's cultural festival. She even declared herself to me. Apparently, she has had a crush on me for years too. What mangakas say in their manga is real. Being at school at night with your loved one is magical. It’s a mystical feeling. It felt like we were in the sacred land of a love goddess.

*RUN, BUTAGAMI-KUN!!!*

This right now is what I’ve been dreaming of my whole life. A good friend, a pretty and kind girl confessing her love for me… This must be the feeling that normal people feel. Happiness. After living my whole life being laughed at, being harassed, being marginalized for my weight… I finally saw the beautiful side of life. I don’t want… I don’t want this moment to ever end.

*JUMP!!!*

*BUTAGAMI!!!! I’M READY FOR THE BOOST!!!*

Thank you. Thank you, God, for making my dream come true. There are a lot of things that I still would like to do. But I think I may be asking for too much. I now know that all of these years have been a test to reward me with this moment. This ephemeral moment…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”

*OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

*GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!*

*FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Useless old bag Yamazaki!!! He knew from the beginning that these brats were the murderers!!!! He refused to tell us why he wasn’t detaining them!!! He also put that lollipop behind that furniture while he placed the false microphones!!! Was he in collusion with them??!! If he had detained them since the beginning, I wouldn’t be…

*BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

*VFX: SPARKS!!! LIGHTNINGS!!! SHOCKWAVES!!!

*UUGGGHH!!!!!*

*VFX: ELECTRIC DOME*

In the dark night, with the stars shining and the moonlight illuminating us, in that classroom where I was with the girl I loved, sparks and rays of whitish blue began to bounce around us. But they were not love rays, but rays created due to the friction of our blows against that terrible guy. Soon, the rays began to form an electric dome, similar to the moon that illuminated us and enveloped us as if it were a chrysalis. A chrysalis that, when it broke, would transform us into adults.

*Crack*

Shit, my arm… is starting to break!!! I need to endure it if I want to save Manami-sama!! PLEASE!!! GO DOWN!!!

*XFZXFRZXRZXRFZXFRXZRRFXZ*

This punch!! It’s surpassing my defensive boost on its own!!! Didn't he just have a single additional personality??!?! How could he get so strong!!!??!! Don’t tell me that that little goddess helped him!!! *DAMN BRAAAAAAAAAATS!!!!! I’ll endure your blows!! And after that, I’ll crush your skulls to pulp!!!*

*Crack*

“FOR MY DREAM OF A PEACEFUL SCHOOL-LIFE!!!”

*FOR MY DESIRE TO END WITH THIS DAMN SYNDROME!!!!!*

“BE…!!!!!

*...GOOOOOOOOOOONEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!*

Farewell, everyone. This is my last goodbye. Butagami Oshino is finally ready. This is what maturing means. See you again. Maybe.

*VFX: ELECTRIC DOME EXPLODING!!!*

*KHOFF!!! KHAK!!! SPLAT!!!*

*GUUU…AAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

*SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH*

*BBBBLLLLLAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!*

*PUUUUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!*

*Crumble*

.

.

.

*Silence…*

*Gasp… gasp… gasp… gasp… gasp…*

“Aaaah… We did it… aaaah… huff… Manami-sama… huff… The hell… were all those… electric beams…?? aaah…”

*I… don’t know… huff… But we knocked him out, Buatagami-kun!!! Aaaah… huff…*

Kira-san… So this is what the power of friendship and love can achieve!! We are like Shonen Manga heroes that have a power boost to help their loved ones!!!

*Roach-gami… Once again, we are not in a manga.*

****

Manami-sama and I remained silent, lying on the classroom floor because we were exhausted after dropping such a powerful punch and kick. We catch our breath in a short time because of the recovery capability of our bodies, thanks to the Sakuragami Syndrome.

“I think we will be here recovering for a while. Manami-sama.”

*Yeah… Your arm is worse than it was when you blocked Chizaki’s punch. You will need some minutes to fix it up. It’s a miracle that it didn’t blow up. It is almost as if a goddess was protecting you…*

*Hidden darkened eyes*

“Yeah. Then, Manami-sama… About you having a crush on me for 2 years…”

*Yes. I think it’s already time to explain it.*

AAAAAHHH!!!! I’m so nervous!!! My crush and goddess Manami-sama said that she had a crush on me too!!! And now she’s going to confess it!!! I need to relax. Calm down, Butagami!!! You need to listen carefully. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of for two years!!!

How pathetic!! Roach-gami. Control your thoughts or I will be able to hear them too.

*I followed you every day for the last 2 years. At first, it was to collect evidence that you were being bullied to show to the teachers. But they did nothing. After that, I made my way into the student council and became the president to change the situation. That’s when I fell in love.*

"You liked me for 2 years? But I was and am fat and an outcast!!! How is that possible?!?"

*It was your eyes, Butagami-kun.*

My… eyes??

*The way you looked at me was different from the others. You were 1 in a 1000. The only one whose eyes weren't filled with envy or disdain towards me. Everyone talked behind my back, criticized me, or just saw me as a pretty face. That's why I proved I was more than that by becoming president.*

Oh, come on!!! Butagami is stupid, but no so much to believe that bullshit!!

“I see!! So it’s true that you liked me…”

*Blush*

HE DID BELIEVE HER!!!! Sigh…!! You are pathetic, Roach-gami.

*I lied to you, Butagami. The ultimate goal of this plan was to make you fall in love. I needed to stop her from getting your love first in order to stop her murders. All so that it could be me, the one you fell in love with. I need your help to put an end to this syndrome. I need you to help me to make monsters like Chizaki and myself disappear.*

“You are no monster, Manami-sama!! But I will help you. I don’t care if it was all a lie!! I trust you unconditionally!! I’ll help you accomplish your dream!! If it’s you, I can trust that you have a good reason for it!!”

*HEY!!! ROACH-GAMI!!! The hell are you saying??!?! You promised to give me control over our body!!!*

*Silence*

*ANSWER ME, YOU STUPID ROACH!!!* Fuck!! Butagami got entangled in Manami-shit-2’s lies!! I need to hurry up and gain control over our body!! But as long as he keeps looking at her, I won’t be able to gain power from my [Trigger Factor]!! I need to get him away from her!!

*But the other Manami also hid things from you. She really lied to you. She didn't kill for personal reasons like being Juliet or because she was being bad-mouthed. A lot of people talk bad about us. She did it because those girls were planning to hurt you.*

“I trust you, Manami-sama. You don’t need to…”

*Didn’t you realize? Manami only killed people who were against you.*

Ah… She’s ignoring me again…“Against me?? She killed Shizuka for gossiping about her and Sato-san and Imai-san to gain the role of Juliet.”

*You really are stupid, Butagami-kun. The reason why she killed them was…*

*MELANCHOLIC STARE*

*…because she was in love with you too.*

WHAT??!!??

Pathetic!!! This is nonsense!! *ROACH-GAMI!!! USE YOUR BRAIN!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!!!*

*My other me was also in love with you. I needed to stop her in order to achieve my plan to eliminate the Sakuragamy Syndrome and to stop her from killing all these students. I promised her that we would fight a fair battle to reach your heart. I was seeing how you enjoyed her meals and her company for a long time while you were alone at your home. But, at the cliff, I couldn’t resist but to take control over her and steal our first kiss.*

“You told me that you needed to kiss me because I ate a strawberry lollipop. But you also said that this was a lie. That you can use your second [Trigger Factor] whenever you want. Don’t worry about it. I understand that you were jealous because Manami-san spent more time with me than you.”

*She hid another thing from you, Butagami-kun.*

Another??? This Manami-shit-2… What is she trying to achieve by confessing all those lies?? I don’t like this!!!

*She has 2 [Trigger Factors] just like me. As you may know, the first one is to see into someone’s eyes while they die. This was caused the day I killed her parents, at the same moment I got my [Trigger Factor] about strawberries.*

“Yes. And you can activate your other [Trigger Factor] whenever you want, but you resisted because you wanted a fair love battle against Manami-san.” I can’t believe that the 2 personalities of my crush are in love with me… This sounds like a dream…

*AND IT IS!!! HEY!! BUTAGAMI!!! STOP LOOKING AT HER!!!*

*But the same way I developed a second one, she did too. Just 2 years ago, when I was taking my charge as the new student council president in front of everyone at the gym, I looked directly into your eyes. You were the only one who looked at me with admiration and not hatred. That’s when my other me gained her second [Trigger Factor]. The one that woke her up on a daily basis. To protect the people she loves.*

To protect the people she loves?? That’s almost like Kira’s [Trigger Factor] but less selfish. “But why would she kill all those girls, and more, the whole last year students?? They just talked trash about me; they never tried to harm me.”

*You have a bad habit of running away every time someone speaks badly of you.*

“Look at Butagami. I heard he killed Sasaki…”

…

“We just need to defend each other from him!!”

It’s true… I did that.

*My other me heard everything people said about you behind your back. Do you remember the love letter she wrote to you? She killed Shizuka because she wanted to humiliate you in front of the whole school. She wanted to prove her love to you by finishing with her life. The same goes for Sato and Imai, who wanted to kill you while you slept at the hostel.*

“And what did all of the students from last year wanted to do to me?”

*I could only prove your innocence to our course. So our senpais were unaware of it. They were planning to use the cultural festival to criminalize and humiliate you somehow. That's why she was going to kill them. To defend you.*

*Her first [Trigger Factor] is to see hope in people's eyes while they die. The other one is to kill people who want to harm people she LOVES. Both of them are rare and almost impossible to happen, and that's a good thing. But we fell in love with the same problematic guy.*

*Sincere smile*

*But I've read way more strange [Trigger Factors] in the hidden data books.*

“But you said you had full control over your body. If your goal was to stop her from killing the students, why didn’t you stop Manami-san from killing all those students??”

*It’s true that I could control my body whenever I wanted. But I’ve been controlling it for the last 5 years. When the other me saw your second victim, she became more powerful. It’s the same thing that happened to you with Kira.*

“I see. But you said that her second [Trigger Factor] is to look at the person she loves. And you said she loved me too…”

*And that’s why I kept eating strawberries every day. The power gained from one was canceled by the other. But when you killed Sasaki’s friends, her first [Trigger Factor] gave her an unusual strength because of the desire to protect you. That’s why she could defeat Kira with ease.*

“I see…”

*Silence*

*I’ve been stalking you for the last 2 years now. That’s how my personality is…*

“I don’t care, Manami-sama. For me, you are perfect just like that.”

*Thank you, Butagami-kun. But that’s why I’m here. That’s my sin.*

“Your sin?? What do you mean?”

*As soon as you recover, I’ll show you. The secret room at the student council room. The books have all the information that you need to know about our syndrome… no, about our curse.*

That’s it!! Manami-shit mentioned them when she dragged me with her. I need to go there and investigate about this syndrome so I can prove her lies!!

*I don’t have all the information. It’s written that 500 years ago, people started to disappear in strange circumstances. There was a temple called the Sakuragami shrine. People used to go there to ask for salvation from the goddess that controlled the sacred lands. But the books that continued with that information are missing. Also, it is said that shortly after, the shrine was burnt in a tragic accident.*

Burnt??? I remember… something…

“RUN!!! THE FIRE IS SPREADING!!!”

The hell are those memories!!!???

*From what I could read from the books, it all points to the fact that the second personalities created by the Sakuragami Syndrome are indeed people who disappeared 500 years ago.*

“Wait… so you and Kira are…”

*I’m not sure about this. It was just a theory I came up with. But as for what Chizaki said, it could be real. It is written in the books that those who seek redemption for what they have done in their lives, will be blessed by the Sakuragami goddess. But it doesn’t say anything about reincarnation.*

“I’ll follow you wherever you go till the end, Manami-sama…”

*Look away*

He stopped looking at her!! It’s my opportunity!! *Something smells fishy to me, Butagami.*

What do you mean, Kira-san?

Yes!! I finally got enough power to communicate with him again!! I need to make him leave this room fast!! *This Manami is different from the one that I spent a week with. The other she is almost like a child. She’s kind and straightforward. She even told me what your [Trigger Factor] was. But this other her… I can’t understand what she’s thinking.*

She told us, Kira-san. She needed to hide some information in order for her plan to work. You still think that she’s lying to us?

*It's not that I think she’s lying to us. The day I smashed the face of Sasaki with that rock, I felt the presence of someone looking at me from a distance. So I believe that she had a crush on you and all that stalker stuff. It's more like she has it all planned out perfectly. I certainly believe in what she says, but everything she says gives me a bad feeling.*

Yes... that she's been spying on us for two years gives me a bad feeling.

*It's not that, stupid!*

So what is it? A few minutes ago, you were saying that you trusted her. Now you’re suggesting that she is hiding something from us.

*And I did trust her, but only to confront that madman. A sixth sense tells me to be careful with this girl. Everything she's told us is conveniently planned... Too well. No flaws.*

That's goddess Manami-sama. After all, she was the one who planned everything so that we could prove our innocence.

*She's hiding something from us, Butagami. When you give me control of our body, I'll secretly find out what it is. We should have done it the day she sent me to sleep for a week.*

I don't think she's hiding anything else from us.

*Just think about it for a second. We don't know when she was and wasn't wearing the wig. Don't you think it's strange that she didn't wear it today, but the day on the cliff she did?*

And how do you know that?

*She said it herself before, Butagami…*

Ah... That's right!

*Siiiiiiigh… Listen, Butagami. We are slaves to our words and masters of our silence. According to what she said, she can control her body as she pleases and gets along well with her other self. How can we know that she wasn't the one who killed all those girls?*

Because I trust her.

*Well, I don't. She said she knew you were being bullied in high school but she never stood up for you.*

She couldn't get into trouble because she was the student council president. Besides, she ran several anti-bullying campaigns in her tenure.

*And what good did they do? None. Why didn't she ever stand up for you if she loved you so much? This all smells very bad to me. I'm the only one you can trust, Butagami. Once you give me control, I'll get you your ideal school life. No one will ever bother us again, and everyone will give us the respect we deserve.*

You’ve been living with her this last week. Did you see her wearing a wig??

*I can’t really tell... The Manami I lived with last week was completely different from this one. Apart from the slaughter thing, she behaved like she was a housewife. You were asleep, so you couldn’t see through my eyes. But I promise she was the kindest and most supportive person I ever met. She was so nice that it annoyed me. I refuse to admit that someone so kind exists in this bullshit world. That’s why I kept calling her Manami-shit. I was sent to sleep without my permission, and I couldn’t be with you while she lived with you, so I don’t know what happened. Do you remember seeing her do something suspicious?*

“Don’t spy on me or I will kill you <3”

I don’t remember.

*I see…*

Kira-san. Why are you so suspicious of Manami-sama?? What exactly do you think she's lying about??

*I think she might be lying about their [Trigger Factors] and about the moments she was controlling her body. She insisted a lot on letting us know about that specific point. It’s very weird…*

And stalking me for 2 years isn’t weird??!!

*That’s not weird. That's… creepy. People in this world are crazy. But not weird.*

Do you have any proof?

*No. But if we read those secret books, I might prove it. She insisted a lot on explaining those specific points. The key to a perfect lie is to mix lies with real information. Especially in the minor details. Just like the wig thing. I’m sure that almost everything she said is true. But I still can’t realize what the lie was… You need to get out of here so I can think better and…*

It’s enough, Kira-san.

*Eh?? What do you mean, Butagami??*

You may think that I’m not thinking, but this last week I improved my mental capacity. And I came to a conclusion. Look, our arm is almost fixed.

*Then you finally realize that Manami-shit is lying to you!!*

No. I don’t think she’s lying at all.

*Hidden darkened eyes*

*What??!! Then what was that conclusion you reached??*

Just look at me. I know exactly what I must do.

…

*Heal*

…

And just like that, with mere thoughts, my arm was fully healed. The power of the mind is incredible. My syndrome not only made me lose weight in 2 days, but it also fixed my broken arm twice in mere minutes. It's almost like I myself have become a god.

*Stand up*

*You recovered fast, Butagami. I still haven't recovered from the kick I launched.*

“This is exactly what I dreamed of. A good friend who was with me all the time. A kind hearted girlfriend which I could spend my days with. A beautiful and normal school life where I could make marvelous memories with the people who value me. But I don’t deserve it.”

*You do deserve it, Butagami-kun. I have never met someone as honest and kind-hearted as you.*

*Warm smile*

*How’s Yamaza… I mean, Chizaki? Did we kill him??*

“It seems that he’s just unconscious. I should double tap him while I can.”

*Don’t worry about him, Butagami. He will be our scapegoat. Leave him be. We will call the police and they will think that he was the one who tied up all of the students.*

*HA!!! She’s a liar!!Does she think that the police is stupid?? Does she think that we will believe that bullshit??!! It’s obvious that someone has to put him in that state!! Butagami!! Let's get out of here and let the police arrest Manami-shit!!*

*I think it is time to get out of here. I need you to help me walk. I still haven't recovered from the fracture that kick left in my leg.*

*DON’T DO IT, BUTAGAMI!!! DON’T HELP HER!!!*

“It’s over...”

*Mmhh?? What do you mean, Butagami-kun?*

“I’m sorry, Manami-sama. I won’t help you.”

*Eh? Why not??!! Carry me out of here!! Butaga…*

*BAM!!!*