And so, Baka was dejected.
Even Kaito had told him, “Don’t come near me!” He had failed to make friends. It was hopeless. This was a lifelong blunder for Baka.
…And so, Baka was utterly crestfallen, shoulders slumped, doing a crouch in the corner of the Great Hall.
That was not good.
“Ah, someone’s here…!”
While Baka was sulking, he heard the patter of footsteps, and then…
“Kyaa!? S-Something, like, pierced my collar…!?”
…Mina had stepped into the Great Hall.
Baka’s second lifelong blunder!
“Aaaah… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I was supposed to tear off your collar, but… I should have torn it off before you got stabbed…”
In front of the bewildered Mina, Baka’s shoulders slumped. Mina was confused.
“Um, well… what exactly is this…?”
“Ah… well. Um, about me and, uh, Kaito-kun over there? This person tore off our collars…”
“Tear off…? This collar can be torn off…?”
“Ah, well, I don’t think it can usually be torn off.”
Mina was tugging at her own collar, but it wouldn’t budge at all. That was only natural. It was just that Baka was strange.
“Kabashima-kun. Don’t be so down, make sure to take off the next person’s collar properly.”
“Yeah… I’m sorry, Tama…”
Baka, feeling dejected, did a crouch at the entrance of the Great Hall. If he sat here, it would be fine. He’d know right away if someone came. He should have just sulked here from the start. Baka was dejected again…
The next person to arrive was Tsuchiya.
So.
“Ah! I’m going to take off your collar, so wait a sec before you come in!”
“…What?”
“Um… okay, all set!”
Crack! He properly tore off Tsuchiya’s collar.
“Okay, you can come in!”
“…W-What just happened!?”
“Ah! Here, I’ll give you back your collar!”
Tsuchiya was just trembling, having been handed back his severed collar by Baka. The cross-section of the collar, which looked like it had been sheared, was proof of Baka’s power.
“So, um, your mark is ‘Saturn’! Nice to meet you!”
“H-Huh…?”
“Ask the guys inside for details! I’m a Baka, so I don’t really get it!”
“…O-Okay. Then, I’ll ask the people inside…”
Tsuchiya gave a forced smile and entered the Great Hall. He could probably get an explanation from Tama or Yo. Baka, relieved, got into a crouch, ready to destroy the next collar.
And then, Hibana was next to arrive.
“Ah, wait a sec. I’ll take off your collar before you come in!”
“Huh? H-Hey, what are you… uwoah!?”
Crack! With a sound, Hibana’s collar was also removed.
“Okay, you can come in! Get the explanation from the smart guys inside! And here, I’ll give this back to you! Your mark seems to be ‘Mars’, so nice to meet you!”
“W-What the hell are you…?”
Hibana, completely thrown off balance, with her sharp edges dulled, glanced at Baka and entered the Great Hall. Yosh!
The next to arrive was Venus.
“Ah! Wait a sec! Let me take off your collar before you come in!”
“Huh?”
Baka approached Venus with a smile, to show that he wasn’t scary. After all, you should smile when approaching others. Otherwise, they’ll be scared!
…Or so Baka thought.
“W-What are you…”
“I-I’m not scary, okay? I’m not scary, so, here, the collar…”
“Don’t touch me!”
Venus was fast.
In the instant that Baka hesitated, thinking, “If I reach out my hand here, will I hurt Venus!?”, Venus slipped past Baka!
“N-No good!”
Baka frantically reached out, but it was too late.
“Ouch…!? W-What was that just now!?”
…Venus had also been injected, it seemed. Baka was dejected, thinking, “It’s all because I hesitated!” Baka’s third lifelong blunder!
“Kabashima-kun… cheer up. Here.”
While Baka was sulking, Yo came over and sat down next to him.
“Yeah… but, I couldn’t do it well…”
“It can’t be helped with Venus-san. She herself didn’t want her collar removed. That was her choice. It wasn’t something you could do anything about.”
Right now, from inside the Great Hall, Venus’s voice could be heard, saying, “Well, anyone would be wary if some weirdo suddenly talked to them, right!?” Baka, hearing that, was dejected again. If only Baka had a more trustworthy appearance, maybe things would have been different…
“…W-Well, don’t be so down. There are still more members, right?”
“Yeah… Amagi-jii-san should be coming soon…”
Encouraged by Yo, Baka looked forward again.
That’s right. Baka’s work wasn’t over yet.
His mission to become friends with Kaito wasn’t over either. Even if he was hated, there might be a chance to make up for it later. Baka was a Baka with motivation and guts.
And more than anything, Amagi should be coming next. Baka would make sure not to let Amagi escape while destroying his collar.
…By doing that, surely, things would be better than last time.
Baka didn’t quite understand “what would be better.” But since Tama had said it, it would surely be fine.
…Baka believed in Tama and Yo, and waited for Amagi.
And then, Amagi arrived.
From the depths of the passage, he came with the clacking of shoes. Amagi, with a difficult and tired face…
“…W-Who are you!?”
“I’m Kabashima Tsuyoshi! For now, wait a sec, I’m going to take off your collar!”
Seeing Baka, Amagi was stunned… and then, he started to go back the way he came!
Baka immediately chased after Amagi.
“W-W-Wait, no! It’s almost time! It’s going to flood! The water’s coming, come here! Come here!”
“Why do you know that!?”
“Why, you should ask Tama about those details! I’m a Baka, so I don’t really get it!”
And then, Baka immediately caught up to Amagi.
Heaved-ho! He picked up Amagi. Amagi was startled and started struggling, yelling, “Let go!”, but Baka ignored him and called out to the Great Hall.
“Tama! Yo! Help me out here! The old man’s going wild!”
“Ah, I see… so that’s how it is.”
“…What do you want us to help with?”
When he called out to the two reliable people, Amagi suddenly became quiet. Maybe he didn’t have the energy when it was 3 against 1.
So, in that gap, Baka heaved-ho and tore off Amagi’s collar.
Crack! He handed the destroyed collar to Amagi, who took it in a daze.
…Now then.
“That makes nine of us.”
And so, nine people gathered in the Great Hall.
Baka, Tama, Yo, Kaito, Mina, Tsuchiya, Hibana, Venus, and Amagi.
…Half of them had died once. But now, they were all here. Baka savored that, and thought strongly, “I won’t let anyone die this time!”
And… Kaito.
He barely spoke in the first loop, and now, he definitely hated him.
But he would do something about it. He would do something. He didn’t have any concrete ideas… but he wouldn’t let Kaito die either. And he would become friends with Kaito!
In the midst of all that.
“Well… it seems everyone who could gather has gathered.”
A voice echoed.
Baka, of course, and the other eight all turned towards the voice… and they saw that the voice was coming from an old-fashioned broadcasting device shaped like a trumpet, with a bit of static.
“Soon, the entire underground floor you were on will be submerged. It seems that there are still rooms where not a single mystery has been solved… but those people will surely not make it in time. There would be no problem in explaining things now.”
…Everyone’s gaze turned to Baka.
At the same time, Baka understood.
…It seemed that the reason Baka had missed the announcement the first time! It was because he had left the room without solving a single mystery, so he hadn’t been caught by the demon’s detection!
Baka thought, “I’ll solve them properly next time.” At the same time, he also thought, “No, I don’t think I can… sorry, demon…” He would probably tear off the collars and blow off the doors next time too. That was all Baka could do…
“Now then. As you probably know, you are foolish people who have come this far by accepting the demon’s invitation. You are sinful people who will now kick down and kill others to fulfill your own wishes!”
The demon’s announcement continued. Baka nodded, thinking, “I see,” and listened intently to the announcement.
“Now, let me explain the Death Game you will be participating in. I will only say it once, so listen carefully.”
“Okay! Got it!”
Baka replied to the announcement energetically, and braced himself to “listen carefully!” The people around him were looking at Baka with indescribable expressions!
“First… I believe you all have noticed, but each of you is wearing a collar.”
“Ain’t wearin’ one…” Hibana muttered, interrupting the demon’s announcement. Well, that was true. Baka had ripped off more than half of the collars.
“…So, this announcement is recorded, huh?”
“Looks like it. Otherwise, the demon would be way too inflexible…”
It seemed that one of the demon’s cards had been unexpectedly revealed. Apparently, this explanation was a recording. Or perhaps something that was already patterned and decided.
“And, those collars have injected you with poison. Well, to be precise, it’s not poison, but our magic… but calling it poison will be easier for you to understand. Well, either way, the conclusion is the same… If things stay as they are, you will all… die the moment the next ‘Night’ arrives!”
Tama, Mina, and Venus tensed up at the demon’s explanation. These three were the ones whose collars Baka had failed to tear off. As the demon explained, these three would die if they weren’t careful.
…But.
“…So, we won’t die…?” Kaito muttered, his words perfectly reasonable.
That’s right! This Death Game… was already on the verge of collapse!
After all, the remaining six were already in a state where they wouldn’t die even if left alone!
“A Death Game, huh… hmmm.”
“Things have gotten kinda weird, haven’t they? Ahahaha…” Tsuchiya and Yo also looked up at the speaker with indescribable expressions.
There was no response from the demon. Since it was a recording, that was to be expected.
And the fact that it was a recording was probably a good thing for the demon.
…It had been ruined so thoroughly right from the start. If the demon had been here to speak directly, it might have cried…
Baka felt a little apologetic. Sorry, demon!