All were given the gun. And Kirumi fired the bullet.
“The culprit can only be you....Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid!”
Kaede pointed to the maid, who was still clutching to the stand in shock. Her fingers shook and she gritted her teeth frustrated, trying her hardest to remain composed.
Cool.....calm and collected....
She stared at Kaede’s face, the pianist’s eyebrows furrowed and her eyes focused on the maid herself.
The primary target. Revolver loading.
Kirumi knew she had screwed up. But....Kaede had to understand that this was, for her people.
It was the night, after the very first class trial. Tsumugi Shirogane had been sent to the gallows, for her murder of Rantaro Amami. The cosplayer smacked the unknown Ultimate with a shotput-ball to the head, killing him instantly and removing the one single clue, as to what was going on here.
What was the, Ultimate Hunt?
Why did Rantaro seem so...calm, whenever the Exisals were intimidating them
Just....what was his deal?
All of those questions would never be answered. Especially not her.
The images of Tsumugi’s execution flashed through her mind and she tried her hardest, to block those images out.
How the cosplayer got stabbed by a massive thin needle, while being hold by two metallic hands and a pair of dark green eyes staring at her from the darkness. It was terrifying.
Kirumi really wanted to forget about it. She held nothing, but contempt to the cosplayer. Thanks to her, the game has started. And they were not a single step closer, to freedom.
With a sigh, the maid got up and walked out of her room. As she did so however, she noticed the door to the dormitory opening. Someone was stepping outside.
The maid, curious as ever, followed the figure into the darkness. Years as acting like a maid to prominent celebrities taught her, how to hide in the shadows. How to remain unseen and silent, in order to check her master’s surroundings for any threats.
And usually, she succeeded at weeding out said threat. She was this good, a fact she didn’t even deny.
That’s how the maid was following the figure to the darkness. It didn’t take long for Kirumi to catch up with them, nor to recognise the person.
It was Kaede Akamatsu, her blonde hair being highlighted by the moon itself. But what was she doing out there, this dark into the night?
Kirumi stopped and hid behind a bush, when she noticed Kaede stopping too and stiffening up. The pianist opened her palms and stared at them in disbelief, as if they were dirty or ugly.
But they weren’t. Kirumi noted that they were actually, quite soft and nice. That’s what she’d think, anway.
Then why was she....
Sniff...
Kirumi perked up and her ears perked up like a rabbit, when a tear hit the floor. She couldn’t just watch anymore.
So, Kirumi got out of her hiding place.
“Good evening, Kaede.”, Kirumi greeted her with a kind smile. The pianist did not expect her naturally, so she turned around with a surprised look and tried her best to wipe the tears off her face with a sloppy motion.
“Oh...evening, Kirumi.”, she quickly said, trying to sound normal and composed. “Couldn’t...sleep?”
“Indeed...and you could neither, it seems.”, Kirumi replied softly.
“Wh...what do you mean?”
“......I can see a tear on your cheek.”
Kaede gasped shocked and desperately tried to wipe away the tear. But Kirumi grabbed her hand gently and firmly, before she could even touch that single tear.
“What are you...”
Kaede’s words died in her throat, when the maid suddenly hugged her tightly, leaning down to her ear to whisper.
“It’s okay, Kaede.....Let it out.”, the maid told her gently. Kaede gasped and remained silent for a brief moment. Silence.
Except only their breaths.
Then, Kirumi felt her shoulder getting wet and the pianist’s grip tightening.
“I...I killed someone....”
“You did not...”
“Yes I did!”, Kaede snapped horrified. “I...I tried to kill...Rantaro! I......It was only thanks to me that this game started! If....if I didn’t, then Rantaro would be still alive...”
“But you did not kill Rantaro.”, Kirumi reminded her gently, yet firm. “Tsumugi did. Shuichi proved that, didn’t he?”
Kaede nodded a bit. Indeed, if Shuichi didn’t point out how the top of Rantaro’s head was fine and how it was the back of it that was injured heavily, Kaede would have been sent to the gallows.
No...all of them would have. Kirumi included.
“Tsumugi killed Rantaro. That is the truth.”
“I know...but...I also sent Tsumugi to the gallows....”
“And?”, Kirumi asked, her voice suddenly becoming cold. “It was either us or her. She started the game. You did the right thing.”
“Really...?”
“Really.”, Kirumi assured her. “We were all given the gun. But she was the only one, who actually fired it.”
Kaede’s heartbeat seemed to calm down a bit and the pianist leaned her head against the maid’s chest. Kirumi’s cheeks lightened up a bit.
And she began to feel more calm too. For a moment, there was only the two of them. And all those horrific events seemed to have been nothing, but a nightmare.
...............
But that memory was a dream.
Because Kirumi was falling. Desperately trying to escape her trap, she climbed the rope to the exit. But that exit was just a drawing. Her body heavily injured, the maid found herself giving up.
As she was falling, she eyed Kaede again. Her eyes showed no contempt. Only pity.
Kirumi screamed in horror, to block out the memories from her head. But it was no use.
She was given the gun. And she fired the bullet.
And as such, when she crashed to the ground, Kirumi felt nothing but gratefulness to Kaede Akamatsu. And hopefully they’d wake up in a different world, one day.
