Murderer in the Flower of Death (9 page)

“Aaaaaahhh!! Wh-wwwh-whatdoido?! I did it again, I killed again… Waaahhh! Uumm, um— Whoooaaa!!”

“Huh?!”

She fell over again.
Continuing what her elbow had started, Maina’s
knee slammed into Oonogi’s crotch. Dragged screaming back to consciousness, Oonogi writhed in pain.

“Eeeeeek! C-calm down…I hab to cawm down! Whack and whack, like making mochi…noooooo!! Oh no, oh no, if they find me like this again…” The flustered Maina grew more and more panicked in front of Oonogi, who was fainting in agony.

“Whoa!!” “Augh!!” “Whoa!!” “Guuh!!” “Whoa!!” “Uyaa!!”

She fell; she smashed him with an elbow. She fell; she kicked him with a knee. She fell; she performed a perfect cross chop… She delivered a perfect series of violent attacks, all without any obvious malicious intent.

Maina’s face was streaming with tears as she stood up and then slipped and fell down again and again. She had a look of fretfulness, confusion, and fear—an expression of absolute panic.

“Hee-hee…that’s no good, clumsy girl…punish, punish…Heh-heh-heh…” Usami was the only one who moved, as Kyousuke and Shinji stood together, paralyzed.

Maina stood up after concluding her eighth round of attacks, and Usami closed in on her, nearly crawling on the ground.

While he wriggled the fingers on both of his hands restlessly, he approached her in a flash.

Noticing Usami drawing nearer, Maina shrieked. “Eee?! S-something’s coming over heeeeeere!!” Flustered, she continued to stammer. “Ah, um…w-well…uh…uummm…”

“H-hee-hee…peel off the panties, make her naked, and then, with the skin…Hee-hee-hee …”

“I…I’m sowwy I exist!”

“Whaa—?!”

Konk!
Maina’s head, which she hurled downward after a long windup, smashed into Usami’s face. Spewing blood from his nose, Usami collapsed in a heap. The white bits sent scattering about must have been his teeth.

Maina on the other hand seemed to be completely unharmed and was running around in a frenzy. She was an unbelievable blockhead. And then, of course, as she was rushing around…

“Whoooaaa!!”

“Gyah!!”

Fortunately, Usami also fell prey to her clumsiness.

“Whoa!!” “Gya!!” “Whoa!!” “Gyaha!!” “Whoa!!” “Gyooh!!”

Over the sounds of Maina and Usami’s alternating screams, Shinji posed a question. “Hey, Mr. Kamiya…what the hell is going on?”

“What the— You think I have any idea?!”

As Kyousuke and Shinji watched in fear and astonishment, Maina rose shakily to her feet. It had probably happened when she struck Usami in the nose: Maina’s whole top half, from her cheeks to her chest, was soaked with sticky red blood. Tears fell in fat drops from her wide eyes as she sobbed.

“Aaa…I killed again, I killed again…waa…hic. What do I do, whatdoido, watdoido, waddoidooo… Uuhh, uh…aaa…a…”

Her spaced-out gaze finally landed on Kyousuke and Shinji, her tear-filled eyes calling to mind an abandoned puppy. Like a drowning man grasping at straws, Maina stretched her arms out toward the two. “Waah!! D-don’t come near me! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!”

Shinji turned and ran. The vicious murderer who had strangled two girls ran away without hesitation.

“……Aah.” Maina suddenly stopped moving. Her body even ceased shaking. Only her eyes, overflowing with tears and open as wide as possible, were trembling.

“M-Maina…?”

“…For once, it was good that they had the wrong impression of me.” Kyousuke had been about to speak up, when Maina began to mumble faintly. Teardrops fell onto her cheeks, distorted with self-deprecating laughter. “Everyone around me is a murderer or worse, and I feared them, avoided them, hated them… I’m an idiot. I felt that way even though I myself am an accomplished murderer. Even though I’m the very kind of person who should be feared, avoided, hated… I really am an idiot. No matter how much time passes, this is what I am, what I will always be…”

“H-hey…are you okay? First of all, calm dow—”

“Don’t come near meeeeee!!” As soon as Kyousuke began moving toward her, Maina raised her voice in a shout. Shutting her eyes and holding her head, she seemed weak, about to crumble.

“Please don’t come near me…I don’t want to hurt anyone else…I don’t want to lose anyone else. More than enough people have
died because of my clumsiness
…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry I was ever born…” She lapsed into tears.

Unable to find the right words, Kyousuke stood and said nothing. The chime indicating the end of the break period resounded through the hallway where Maina sobbed alone.

“…Hey, you bastards. Are you ready for your trip to hell?”

A few minutes had passed, and Kyousuke was worrying over whether he should say something to Maina, who had so far shown no signs of crying herself out, when the last voice he ever wanted to hear echoed loudly through the hallway. Maina had her face covered with both hands, but her body shuddered.

“…Five. Do you know what that number means? It’s the number of times in the last two days that I’ve had to really discipline someone. Now, that was mostly that annoying Mohawk, but…I swear, you all are giving me so much trouble! How far will you have to push me before you’re satisfied? Huh?!”

“No, miss, that’s not it!” Kyousuke answered in a rush. “This is—” Just as he was about to look back at the scene behind him, something bright red brushed against his cheek.

Whatever it was that Kurumiya had lobbed at him with one hand, it traced a gentle parabola—passing in front of Maina, and between Oonogi and Usami, before it landed with a thud.

It was a young man, covered in blood from head to toe.

It was Shinji “reformed” and almost unrecognizable.

“……Wha—? Ah… E-eeeeeek!!” Catching a glimpse of Shinji’s battered form was enough to send Maina into a full-speed retreat. Scooting back across the floor, she slid past Kyousuke in an instant.

“Hey, stop right there. Where are you going? You can’t escape!” Kurumiya shouted after her.

“Eeek!! S-ssssososo-sowwyyy!!” As Maina tried to slip past her evil teacher, Kurumiya caught her by the scruff of the neck and hoisted her upward. In her other hand she held the blood-soaked iron pipe.

“Eeek!! Forgibe me! F-forgi— Waaaaaahhh!!” Maina, now in a complete panic, thrashed her dainty arms and legs, struggling for dear life.

“—Shut up!” Kurumiya roared, a bloodthirsty expression painted across her face. “Do you want me to XXX you in your XXX?” She readied the iron pipe, and Maina instantly quieted down, dangling like a dead fish with a blank look in her eyes.

Blurting out things like “XXX” and “XXX” in that Lolita voice, Miss Kurumiya is really something else!

“…Hmph. Igarashi, I’ll hear a detailed report from you in the discipline room. It appears that you were the one who caused this mess, isn’t that right? Though I beat the basic outline of the situation out of this Saotome asshole I caught in the hallway over there. Oh, and by the way…”

Kurumiya glared at Kyousuke.

“Why the hell are
you
here, Kamiya? Were you the leader? …Tch, typical. Well, that’s just fine. Come with us to the discipline room. You seem like you’re really underestimating me anyway, so…I’ll take this opportunity to really, truly discipline you. This time, for sure, you won’t escape!”

“…Ah.”

Kyousuke clenched his teeth and held back the objection that only made it as far as his throat.
If she says I’m the ringleader, then I guess I must be the ringleader.
It was due to his intrusion that Maina, who had been at her wits’ end to begin with, had gone even further over the edge and all hell had broken loose. If he was to be punished for that, then there was no helping it. He took a moment to strengthen his resolve before answering. “…I understand. Just, well, it’s only my first time, so…please be gentle.”

“Sure, leave it to me. With such an engaging quarry, I’ll really do a thorough job.”

“Wha—?”

There was no use arguing, so Kyousuke refused to bother. Dragging Maina along with one hand, Kurumiya approached him. She flung aside the iron pipe, and just before she could grab Kyousuke by the hair with her newly free hand—

“Pwease wait, Miss Kurumiya!” Maina mustered up her voice and
shouted in protest. Kurumiya paused as Maina babbled on in her incoherent, infantile speech. “Kyo-Kyousuke had nuffing to do widdit! He just happened to pass by by coincidence… I was caught up in some trouble, so he… I’m telling you, Kyousuke had nuffing to do widdit!”

“…Maina?”

Without meaning to, Kyousuke looked at Maina’s face. Maina, who was being dragged along by the scruff of her neck, had done her best to speak up for him, meeting Kurumiya’s scornful gaze with dignified eyes.

“…I see. In other words, this was all your fault! In that case, I’ll need to make your punishment even more severe, for causing Kamiya trouble… No complaints, right, Igarashi?”

“Uhm…n-no complainds! I’m…I’m prepared!”

“Oh, is that so? …Hmph. Okay, then. In that case, I’ll be rough with you, just as you wish.”

“But…h-hey!! Wait a second, Maina—” Kyousuke’s raised voice was cut off by Maina’s powerful eyes. Her eyes, staring directly at him, communicated clearly what her silent lips did not.
I told you to shut up
is what they said.

“I am totally prepared…because the whole thing was my fault.” Wiping her tears and the remaining blood from her cheeks, Maina actually smiled weakly. Self-deprecation and resignation showed on her all-too-frail face.

In contrast with her steady eyes, her facial expression had changed faster than Kyousuke could open his mouth.

“…That’s just fine. In that case, why don’t you show me your resolve?” Kurumiya replied. “We’ll take our time and do it right, hmm? …Heh-heh-heh. Well, then, Kamiya. You go back to the classroom. It’s study hall.”

“Study hall? What on earth am I supposed to do in study hall—?”

“
Nothing!
If you cause any more problems today, I’ll break in every single one of you. My stress level is already approaching the limit… For now, I’m going to take it all out on this one. Come here!”

“Eh?! M-mmm-me?! N…noooooo!!”

Turning on her heel, Kurumiya disappeared farther into the school building, dragging Maina along.

The medical team was on the scene before he knew it, lifting the
injured boys lying in the corridor onto stretchers. As they carried them away with a “heave-ho,” Kyousuke stood in shock.

He silently gripped the handkerchief that he had missed his chance to return.

“…Maina.”

It was lunchtime. Kyousuke had resolved to speak with Maina, who had just returned a moment ago.

Sitting in her seat, staring blankly out into space, Maina…

“—”

…was unresponsive. She’d been burned completely out.

She wore her school jersey, and despite the bandages and gauze taped to her cheeks, didn’t seem to have suffered any major physical injuries. It seemed like her wounds were mental.

“I’m sorry for being born. I was possessed by my secret power. I can never be someone’s bride. Stop already! Maina’s nothing but a tattered rag!” She went on and on, deliriously muttering to herself with empty eyes.

…I wonder what happened to her in that discipline room?
Worried as he was, Kyousuke decided to try a different approach. Placing a hand on Maina’s shoulder, he spoke again, this time in his best impression of an angry Kurumiya. “Hey, you! I’m gonna discipline you!”

Maina jumped with a start. “Eee?! S-sss-sowwy! Besides what I already told you, I…huh?” In a moment, she’d come to her senses. Her eyes met Kyousuke’s, and as soon as she realized that he was not Kurumiya, her whole body relaxed a bit. However, her face immediately stiffened up, and she brushed away Kyousuke’s hand.

“I told you not to come near me! And please don’t touch me… I’ll hurt you, too, you know! Maybe I…I might even kill you! So please don’t come near me. Don’t come talk to me! Just like everyone else…”

The rest of the class surrounded them at a generous distance, leerily watching Maina shake with her arms wrapped around herself.

Not a single person tried to approach her.

Operating with little, if any, control on Maina’s part, her destructive clumsiness was something like a bomb with an unpredictable fuse. It
was the kind of thing you’d want to avoid if possible. Even Kyousuke had to agree, but even so…

“Look here, this…this is something you dropped, isn’t it?” Trying to look nonchalant, he held the pink handkerchief in an outstretched hand.

Maina’s eyes opened wide in surprise. She timidly took the handkerchief with both hands and, after giving it a thorough examination, looked up at Kyousuke questioningly.

Looking back at Maina with her head tilted sweetly in puzzlement, Kyousuke laughed. “Well, then, thank you for earlier! For protecting me from Kurumiya. You really saved my ass!”

“Huh?! Ah, well…it was my fault from the beginning, so… I didn’t really p-protect you…” The cheek against which she was holding the handkerchief was slightly flushed, the same pink color as the cloth.

Kyousuke decided to broach the real issue at hand, as he took in this charming view of Maina. “However you want to think about it is fine. The fact is that I was saved because of you. So, well…to say thanks, let me treat you to a meal. It’s lunchtime now, so how about it?”

He had said “treat,” but in reality they were on a meal ticket exchange system. At any rate, that was the usual means of getting food.

“Huh? Lunch…? B-but, I’m…um, well…”

“Come on, you don’t have to worry about your clumsiness. I may not look it, but I
am
the vicious murderer at the top of the class. I won’t be killed that easily. Or is it me that you find disagreeable? Eating a meal with a murderer like me?”

Maina choked out an “…uhm” in response.

Right now, Maina was disgusted less with the students around her and more with the idea that she herself was a “murderer,” and Kyousuke turned that to his advantage. Though he was aware that it was unfair to ask her such a thing, knowing she couldn’t deny it.

The fact was, Maina, who he had cornered with his request, was panicking, whimpering like she was in trouble.

She’s probably fine, though. She did this once before, and just earlier she acted the same way, too.
When she said, “Don’t come near me,” Maina had seemed very lonely, very bitter… The truth had been evident: If she had the choice, she would rather be with people.

Of course she would.
Naturally, she was frightened, having been thrown into a place like this. Anybody would be scared. Aside from
occasionally killing people with her clumsiness, Maina was a perfectly normal girl!

“Say, Maina. Why don’t you eat with us today? You didn’t eat properly yesterday, either, did you? I can’t let you go on like that every day.”

“Whaa—?! Wh-why do you…?”

“Why? …Does it frighten you? Everyone around you is a murderer. You never know when a girl like you might be attacked. But with me, the top of the class, by your side, those other guys will think twice about even getting near you, won’t they? Surely you can relax better that way?”

Maina’s gaze drifted toward Kyousuke, who was grinning. “B-but…um…what if—if you attack me, what’ll I—”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Unexpectedly, Eiri cut in. Looking over from her seat, she continued, “Because if he does try anything, I’ll…cut him to ribbons for you.”

“Where are you—?! You glanced down there just now, didn’t you? You definitely looked!!”

“…Shut up. If you keep acting so annoying, I’ll make sure to slice it on an angle, real thin. Like you would with a burdock root.”

“It’s not that narrow! Even so, slicing…it shrunk up just imagining that!!”

“…Sure it did. Though I’m sure it’s hard to tell, in your case.”

“What do you mean ‘in my case’?! You’ve never even seen it, so what the hell do you know? I’m suing you for slander, bitch!”

“…Is that so? If you do that, I’m raising sexual harassment charges. ‘He forced me to look at things I didn’t want to see’—that’s what I’ll say. They’ll cut your little mushroom off and throw it away.”

“They’ll do no such thiiingg!! What the hell, it’s getting smaller and smaller thanks to you!”

“…Say, Maina.” Leaving the incensed Kyousuke to fume, Eiri turned her gaze toward Maina. She glared with half-open eyes, her usual nasty murderous expression.

Sure enough, Maina let out an “eeek!!” and began shaking in earnest.

“What’s with that reaction…? You did the same thing yesterday at lunchtime, didn’t you? I don’t get what you mean by it.” Sulking, Eiri stuck her lip out like she was pouting.