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itsuki-minamy · 3 months ago

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"K - LOST SMALL WORLD" (Novel)

PERIOD 1: 12 YEARS OLD (MISSION 1)

Translation: Naru-kun Chapter guide: HERE

The mop handle held the rag core in place perfectly. The damp rag was just the right weight and formed a layer that passed through the classroom door and stuck to the hallway window.

"Yessss! The fourth batter, pitcher Yata, hits the ball through the gap between third base and shortstop, down the left field line..."

Yata loudly commented on the situation and raised the mop in his hand.

"Hit!"

In the quiet atmosphere of the classroom, only his excited voice emerged, and with a smile still on his face, he quietly put down the mop. The classmates who had been watching with cold expressions began to look away, lowering their eyes to their PDAs or returning to chatting with their friends.

"What? That's not very friendly."

Yata was breathing heavily as he carried the mop over his shoulders.

"Team Yata, play defense. If there are four of us, we can make a triangular base."

He called out to three boys who were gathered at a desk looking at their respective PDAs. The three looked at each other, shrugged, and then turned to him.

"What's a triangular base?"

It was a response that was hard to believe.

"Don't you know what a triangular base is?! What the hell have you been doing while growing up to the first year of middle school?!"

"What are you asking me to do?"

"Isn't Yata-kun the one who's the least developed...?"

One of them whispered, while the other two burst into laughter.

"Did you say something?"

He yelled, and the three quickly stopped laughing.

"Well, I guess I'll give you a lecture, so listen up. Remember, a triangle base is when the defensive team is the pitcher and two basemen, which is why it's called a triangle..."

As he explained, they heard a message ding, and the three of them said "Ah!" in unison and looked down at their respective PDAs.

Yata felt very sad because his plans kept getting ruined.

"It's the "Jungle" email newsletter."

He walked over to his friends, who were holding their PDAs and talking cheerfully, and snatched the PDA out of one of their hands.

"What the heck is this email newsletter about?"

"Oh, Yata-kun, don't touch it with the hands you used to touch the rag."

"Don't be so picky, you're not a woman."

As his friend tried to retrieve his PDA, Yata roughly shoved him with the mop. The screen showed him an app he'd never seen before.

"What's this?"

"Yata-kun, do you know "Jungle"? Everyone plays it these days. There are a ton of different games, and the tricks are great."

"The design is great, too."

"I don't really get it. I mean, is it a game?"

"It's not just for games. You can also send group messages, which is really handy."

"Ah."

They were just starting a lively conversation when suddenly one of them raised his voice and made a "shhhh" gesture with his index finger. The other two looked as if they had just realized something and began muttering to themselves as they continued.

Shaking his head, Yata took his PDA out of his pocket.

"Hmm? Then I guess I'll join in too."

Since PDAs are designated by the school, they are all the same model, but students, especially the girls, decorate them with their own cases and straps. Yata was one of those who used "no straps". In addition to the usual call and internet functions, it is equipped with a contactless IC card function and can also serve as a student ID card.

"What was it, "Jungle"?"

It was just as he started working on his PDA.

Loud, harsh footsteps were heard from the door at the back of the classroom.

"Yata Misaki! And his gang!"

He yelled at him.

"Don't call me by my full name."

Almost reflexively, Yata barked and turned around.

"Everyone, come to the guidance room.", the homeroom teacher ordered in a gruff voice as he appeared.

"Huh? What did we do? Look..."

He began rebelliously, but seeing the expressions on his classmates' faces, Yata blinked.

All three of them were pale and frozen.

++++++++++

They were made to stand in a row of four in front of a long desk in the student guidance office. The answer sheets for the proficiency exam he took the other day were spread out on the desk. The sound his teacher made sarcastically tapping them with his fingertips was irritating to Yata's ears, and it made him feel increasingly irritated.

"Well, I'm telling you, how could we have cheated? And do you have proof?"

"There are several questions with the same answer. Even the mistakes are the same. Here and here too."

"It's a coincidence, right? How could we possibly have the same answer? Our seats are all different, so there's no way we can directly show each other the answers, and I don't think we're allowed to use PDAs during the test."

Yata was the only one arguing, and when he looked at his friends standing in a row to his left, all three of them looked completely depressed and had their heads hung low. (Oh no, they did it...) He already knew.

Yata felt a little sharp, thinking that if they didn't have the courage to deny it when they were caught, then they shouldn't have done it in the first place.

However, the teacher's gaze was directed at Yata with particular hatred.

"Yata, weren't you the one who made them do it?"

"Eh?!"

His voice cracked at the unexpected suspicion.

"Why do you think that? It doesn't make sense..."

"As for you, this is certainly the result."

The teacher carelessly rejected Yata's exam, which had a very disappointing score compared to the other three. He wasn't bragging, but that's not a score you can get by cheating.

"But you know why they called you in with them, right? Last month, you invited these three to sneak out of school during class, saying it was a test of courage. You were probably the one who made them do it this time too."

"Well, I was the one who invited them last month..."

"Tell me the truth. This isn't a normal test, so I'll keep this between us. But if you don't tell me the truth, I'll have to ask your parents to come."

His threatening tone caused the shoulders of his friends standing next to him to shudder.

One of them gulped.

"Y-Yata-kun told me to do it..."

"R-right, Yata-kun said so and made me use the cheat sheet, but he was the only one who didn't..."

"What...? You...!"

He instinctively raised his fist, causing the three of them to flinch. All three of them began to sob.

Yata had no choice but to lower his fist.

There's nothing he can do about it, really... He just remembered that's what happens when they do whatever they want when he's not around. If you can't wipe your own ass, then don't be a troublemaker.

"Ah, that's right. I snuck into the teacher's lounge and looked up the answers. Then I told them, but on the day of the exam, I was the only one who forgot my cheat sheet."

The three of them looked up, their eyes red and round.

Yata sighed and made a decision. It would be annoying to have to apologize to the teacher, but as the leader of the Yata group, it would be unmanly to abandon the comrades who clung to him.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

He bowed his head to the teacher so hard that the teacher flinched.

++++++++++

"Thanks to Yata-kun, I was truly saved because my parents weren't contacted."

"All right. Listen, if you want to deny it, deny it and be proud of it. If you want to admit it, admit it and apologize enthusiastically. Well, this time there's no getting around it, it's over. Next time, don't do things on your own; if you want to do something, consult me first. I'll make it work for you."

"Yes. Thank you."

He still looked dejected, so the three of them laughed weakly.

Although they received some scoldings afterward, because it wasn't a normal exam, they didn't take anything seriously and were released. Of course, if something like this is discovered again, it's inevitable that their parents will be contacted. Looking around the class, it seems that most of the students are relatively well-behaved, so the parents would probably never imagine their children would cheat.

"Well, I'll take my bike. See you tomorrow."

He had planned to take everyone to Shizume after school that day, but he was sure the teacher would be watching them closely, so it would probably be best to reschedule.

After parting ways with his friends who were returning home on the school bus from the main gate, Yata headed alone to the side gate. That's because he parked his bike there, but there's no bike parking area. Riding a bike to school is prohibited because it's considered dangerous.

"Damn, this is why this middle school is so boring..."

It had been a month since he enrolled at Hinata Middle School, but to be honest, he felt like he didn't fit in. There are many restrictive school rules, such as prohibiting riding bikes to school and buying snacks on the way home from school.

The uniform, with its rather pretentious design of a dark red blazer and bow tie, was uncomfortable, so Yata rolled up his sleeves and wore it casually.

None of the friends he hung out with in elementary school were at this middle school. He had moved here during spring break due to his parents' work commitments. Although Yata missed his old school, he remained positive and thought it wasn't all bad. He was back near the town where he'd lived as a child, even before his previous school. Shizume is a town that holds many memories for Yata.

He pulled his bike out of the bushes by the gate. It's a worn-out mamachari (a women's bike) that his mother had given him, so it's not something he really wanted his friends to see. He wished he could get a part-time job and buy a good cyclocross bike, but of course, part-time jobs are prohibited for middle school students, and he'd already spent all his New Year's money, so he didn't want to ask for a raise in his allowance.

"I wonder if even a friend with a lot of money could do that?"

Muttering such absurd things to himself, he threw his crushed school bag into the basket, carefully removed the leaves that had accumulated on the saddle, and said, "Ready." as he easily climbed on top.

Hinata Middle School is located in the city, so the front door opens onto a busy main street, but the side door opens onto the shrine behind the school. For some reason, this area, including Shizume, has an unusually large number of Inari temples and shrines. Suddenly, in the middle of the city, a torii gate appears, with no clear idea of what it enshrines, and a dense forest continues in the distance.

It's a quiet street nestled between the towering wall surrounding the school grounds and the shrine's forest. It feels like the border between the human world and the divine world, and is enveloped in a mysterious, green-scented atmosphere. Students riding the bus might not even know there's a street like that behind the school.

"Oh, is this it?"

He quickly found the app he was looking for. Once the installation was complete, a new icon called "Jungle/B" appeared on the screen. The icon evokes the image of twisted, crowded trees, just as the name "Jungle" suggests.

"I see, then a cute icon would be nice. They said the design is great too. Come to think of it, how did those guys manage to cheat?"

The most likely scenario would be that the answers would be given via email, but student phone numbers are managed by the school and are blocked during class so they can only be used for emergency calls. Although he managed to survive his teacher's interrogation, the fundamental questions remained unanswered.

"Well, I guess I'll ask tomorrow. Huh? Do I have to register as a user first?"

While using the new app and feeling a little unsteady while driving with one hand, he overheard a disturbing conversation.

"This guy has a 10,000 yen bill. He's only a freshman, though."

"The rumor that your family is rich is true."

"Well, we're all in the same boat when we have problems, aren't we? This month my bills have exceeded my allowance."

Yata looked up from his PDA. He has a good ear for that kind of talk. Reporting, extorting, bullying...

Looking ahead along the wall, he saw four boys wearing Hinata Middle School uniforms. Three of them formed a semicircle and pressed the remaining person against the wall.

"Hm? That guy..."

Yata squinted at the faces of the students surrounding him. He couldn't see well because he was holding his face in his hands and looking down, but the moment he saw his pale face and black-framed glasses, he shouted without hesitation.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The three of them turned around. One of them was about to take a note out of his wallet. For a moment, the three seemed ready to flee, but as soon as they saw Yata standing with his arms crossed next to the old mamachari bicycle, they regained their composure.

"What's wrong, shorty? How old are you?"

"Don't call me shorty."

"This is Yata, a first-year student. Yata Misaki. He's a kid who stands out because he barks a lot."

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and forgive you, but don't call me by my full name."

They were third-year students, probably from some kind of sports club. All three are much larger than Yata. Judging by their appearance alone, they didn't seem like the kind of bad guys who would mug someone. Unlike Yata, they didn't rebel against school rules by wearing their uniform sloppily or growing their hair long. As a student who takes their club activities seriously, they probably wouldn't attract the teachers' attention. He felt a sickening feeling that these ordinary people were doing things like that behind the scenes at that middle school.

"Give him back his wallet."

In an attempt to look a little bigger, Yata shrugged his shoulders as he approached, nodding at the bespectacled man in the background. It was frustrating that, due to their height difference, he had to look up to see the three of them.

"A wallet? If you want a wallet, I'll give it back to you."

The three looked at each other, laughed, and tossed the empty wallet to the bespectacled boy. It wasn't a Velcro type like Yata's, but a genuine leather one that looked quite expensive even just for the wallet itself.

"It's not just the wallet! Give him back the money!"

The wallet fell to the ground with a thud, and Yata, who was about to scream, was so startled that he stopped talking.

"I will."

The bespectacled boy said, without even looking at the wallet that had fallen from his shoulder. His voice was faint and mumbled.

"What? I can't hear you."

The third-years asked again in an intimidating manner.

"I'll give you my money and my wallet. I never want to touch anything you've ever touched again."

He said this and shook his shoulder as if it had dirt on it. On top of that, he kicked his wallet toward the third-year students and said,

"Take it. There are still some coins left, so crawl and search for some, there you go."

Even Yata, who went to help, was surprised by his attitude. The third-year students' faces turned red with anger. The bespectacled boy picked up his fallen school bag and began walking along the wall without even looking at the third-year students.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Are you making fun of me?"

The third-year students suddenly raised their voices as if startled and grabbed the bespectacled boy by the back of his hair.

"Don't touch me!"

The bespectacled boy shouted in a deafening voice and headbutted the third-year student who had grabbed him by the hair. A painful crash was heard, and the man fell backward, clutching his face.

"What the hell is this guy doing all of a sudden?!"

The other two men flew into a rage and grabbed him.

"Fushimi!"

Yata immediately screamed and jumped at the nearest person. He jumped on his back, wrapped his legs around his body, and put both hands around his head to blindfold him, but he shook his head and said, "Let go of me, you little brat!"

Sensing another guy approaching from the side, he kicked him in the back and quickly broke free. He did a beautiful backflip and jumped to the ground.

"Hehe, as if you could catch me."

He snorted, but in the meantime, the bespectacled boy had been grabbed by his arm.

It was obviously a disadvantage to be three against one against the physically superior third-year students on the sports team. Clicking his tongue, Yata quickly operated his PDA with one hand. The bus probably hadn't left yet.

"Yata group, gather around..."

He noticed an unfamiliar notification on the screen.

At first glance, the word [Yata-kun] caught his attention.

[Isn't that annoying?]

"Huh? What's this?"

He frowned and did a double take as a shadow fell in front of him.

"Don't look away."

He was hit in the side of the face and sent flying.

"I'm telling you, you guys were the first to act. It was self-defense, so there's no point in telling the teacher."

"Don't ever face me again, you stupid first-year."

The third-year students jeered at the two as they fell to the ground, then quickly picked up their money and wallets. The guy who took Fushimi's headbutt stuffed a handkerchief up his nose and, in retaliation, kicked Fushimi in the shoulder again and spat on him.

"Damn it, what do you mean, self-defense?"

Frustrated, Yata slammed his fist against the ground. Gritting his teeth made the wounds in his mouth hurt even more.

When he turned to look at Fushimi, he had taken off his glasses, which were splattered with spit, and rubbed them against the dirt at the side of the road. His face was pale, and the red bruises on them looked painful.

"Are you okay, Fushimi?"

Fushimi adjusted his glasses, which were probably even more cloudy due to the dirt stains, and stared at him.

"Hmm? You're Fushimi Saruhiko, right? Did I read that wrong?"

"How do you know?"

An aura of anger seemed to rise from his thin shoulders. Yata was frightened, wondering why he got that reaction just by calling his name.

"Why? We're in the same class, right? I'm Yata. I'm in the same row as you."

It had been over a month since the entrance ceremony, but it seemed they didn't even remember his face. There are plans to change the seating arrangement in the second semester, but during the first semester, classroom seating is based on the attendance list. Yata's seat is fifth from the front, in the row closest to the aisle. Fushimi's seat is second from the front in the same row.

"It seems this isn't the first time those guys have bothered you. Do they always steal your money? Don't your parents know? They'd be angry if they found out, since it seems it was a considerable amount. If it happens again, tell me. I'll help you. Well, I lost today, but I have friends here."

"Hmmm.", Fushimi snorted.

"If you want to be thanked, go somewhere else."

While Yata was speechless at that unexpected comment, Fushimi easily brushed the dirt off his uniform and bag and began walking home. Although he didn't even touch the wallet the third years had stolen, he didn't seem to pay much attention to the dirt stains he wiped off, so Yata didn't really understand what was different.

Up until that point, he'd exchanged words with most of his classmates at least once, but now that he thought about it, that was the first time he'd ever spoken to Fushimi. He had no idea he spoke so rudely. The impression was as if every sound was uttered with a thorn stuck in his tongue.

Looking at his appearance alone, he's a quiet guy and a good student. He has a weak, thin build and isn't particularly tall. If the boys in his class were lined up by height, he'd be closer to the front than the middle (though Yata would be at the very front). He wears unfashionable black-framed glasses, and according to Yata, his hairstyle is shabby, and he generally seems unattractive. Yata assumed it was because of his appearance that he became a target for thieves.

His appearance didn't seem to match the person he was when he raised his voice to insult those guys.

"Wait... wait a minute."

As Yata ran back a few meters and picked up his bike, Fushimi rode off, clearly intending to leave him behind. Yata caught up with Fushimi, standing on the pedals, and began riding slowly beside him.

"Hey, don't you mind just giving up and doing nothing? We're going to fight back. I'll call my friends."

"Who said I'd give up and do nothing?"

Fushimi looked at him sideways.

"I'm going to retaliate. I'll crush them twice as hard."

He took out his PDA and muttered as if he were talking to the screen instead of Yata. The application displayed was the one Yata had just installed. Finally, when they found a common theme, Yata became excited.

"Ah, Fushimi, so you have it too. I just installed it..."

As he maneuvered his PDA and balanced it with one hand, his eyes shifted to the screen.

There were even more unfamiliar notifications than he'd glimpsed before.

They were shaped like speech bubbles and looked like an exchange of messages. There were so many speech bubbles that they almost filled the palm-sized screen.

[Yata-kun is annoying, right? Where does such annoying enthusiasm come from?]

[Why does he act so arrogant despite being so short?]

[He's short, but he has a loud voice.]

[They say idiots have loud voices.]

[It's so stupid to act like you're a bad guy when you haven't done anything particularly wrong.]

[What should we do? I told him about the group message, but won't it be annoying if Yata joins?]

[Why don't you create a separate group and teach him that? We'll have the important conversations here and leave the other group alone.]

[But wouldn't it be better to treat it naturally and keep him in a good mood? We could use him if something like this happens again.]

[Isn't that terrible? I feel sorry for Misaki. (laughs)]

[Misaki-chan. (laughs)]

"What the hell is this...?"

Because he wasn't paying attention while driving, the tire went over the curb and fell sideways along with his bike.

"What...?"

He hit his knee really hard, and it hurt so much he forgot the pain he felt when the third-years hit him. He gritted his teeth, but tears sprang to the corners of his eyes.

He opened his eyes to reach for his PDA, and Fushimi picked it up as it bounced on the ground, casually glancing at the screen.

"Ah!"

He jumped up in a panic and snatched the PDA out of Fushimi's hand.

"Oh, sorry, I fell. Haha, how pathetic of me. Anyway, back to the topic, the retaliation..."

A strangely high-pitched voice came out of his mouth, as if coming from the top of his head.

(Why did I laugh? It wasn't something to laugh about...)

"Oh, they're talking bad about you."

Fushimi simply said it as if he didn't care and turned his face away. Unable to accept the seemingly inconsiderate way in which he was spoken to, Yata retorted.

"That's all? Don't you have anything else to say?"

"Anything else?"

Fushimi tilted his head and spoke with a simple look on his face, as if he truly didn't understand.

"Should I laugh at you? Or do you want my sympathy? I'm not interested in you."

Yata had no way to respond to such a blunt statement.

++++++++++

Yata only took one action. That was the only thing he could think of.

"Hey, what's this?"

The next day, he confronted the three members of the Yata group with the PDA screen and interrogated them. All three were stunned by the screen and asked mischievously.

"What's that? It's terrible."

"Don't pretend you don't know! You think I don't know anything? This is a message from a "Jungle" group, right?"

He tried several things with the app he installed yesterday and got a general idea of how to use it. However, at the time the message exchange in question was received, Yata had just installed the app and hadn't yet registered as a user. Of course, he wasn't part of any of the groups his friends had formed. Regardless, that exchange reached Yata just in time.

"If you have something to say to me, why don't you say it out loud instead of sneaking around?"

"If I tell you, you'll get angry."

"I can't hear you! I told you to speak up!"

He muttered a rebuttal, so he immediately started yelling at him, causing his friends to shake their heads.

"Ah..."

He had been thinking since last night that he should listen calmly and not yell, but he ended up yelling instead.

It was just before the start of morning class, and his classmates were arriving at school one after another. Everyone entered the classroom with a cheerful "good morning" and gasped at the atmosphere in the corner by the window. They looked around, wondering what was going on, and silently placed their bags on their desks. Fushimi hadn't arrived at school yet to take his seat.

Yata took a step back and took a deep breath.

"I won't be angry... If you have any complaints about me, just tell me. I'll listen."

The three of them, huddled by the window, looked at each other, and, as if without realizing it, they all burst out laughing.

"Yata-kun, you said you'd listen. Isn't that the part where you ask us to please tell you?"

"Ahh?! Say it again!"

Finally, he yelled again, grabbed his friend by the collar, and shook his fist. His friend let out a pathetic cry, "Aaaah!" and the other two also began to flee. Small screams were heard from the classmates watching nearby.

His friend desperately shielded his head and turned his face away. Although Yata was shorter, he was holding his friend by the neck, which almost made him faint.

"You can't even fight...", Yata said, looking at his friend with disdain.

He mocked people by adding things like "lol" to their messages, but when he tried to hit him, he was half-crying.

"As for the cheating, you went along with the lie that you forced us to do it. So, Yata-kun, you're the one who doesn't want to be excluded, right?"

"I was protecting them!"

"You wanted to protect me, right? You wanted me to thank you, right?"

"What...?!"

The words Fushimi said to him yesterday came back to him.

"If you want to be thanked, go somewhere else."

He never thought people would think that way.

He didn't want to be thanked. For Yata, it was unthinkable to abandon his friends and pretend he didn't notice anything.

(We're only friends because we play penalty kicks together. I'm the leader of the Yata group, and these are my friends whom I must protect...)

"Stop acting like a leader on your own. Don't you know you're bothering us? No one asked you to join, and being part of the Yata group isn't cool. We want to do other things and have fun, but we're always forced to participate in strange games."

His friend repeated the same thing in a hoarse, raspy voice, tears welling up in his eyes and his face contorted with fear.

He seems to be doing the best he can. Yata knows that face very well. It's the face of a bullied kid who finally stands up to the bullies. It was a common scene in elementary school. Yata was always the one beating up the bullies. Yata certainly acted like a tough guy, but bullying the weak was something he hated and despised.

He wondered when he'd reached the other side and felt dizzy, as if the world around him had turned upside down without him even realizing it.

++++++++++

With his classmates' eyes on him, he put on a face that said he wasn't hurt and left the classroom. Suddenly, all the strength left his body. Class was about to start, but he didn't feel like returning to the classroom. Where should he go? However, he couldn't think of anywhere to go alone, so his feet headed for the boys' restroom.

He closed the door and sat on the Western-style toilet. He leaned his back against the back tank and stared at the ceiling for a while.

He was so moved to tears that he had to go to the bathroom of all places possible. He swallowed the acrid sensation that had risen to the back of his nose.

The bathroom was quiet because the students had already gone to their classrooms. He could hear the sound of water dripping somewhere. It smelled a little off, but after a while his nose got used to it. He wondered if he would ever get used to it.

The bathroom is oddly a good place to think. Is it because there's nothing to see except the wall in front of him, or because there's nothing to do except shit, or is it the gloomy feeling created by the fluorescent lights that are almost always on the verge of going out?

Without even knowing what people were saying about him behind his back, he thought he was leading his friends and acted all grandiloquent and boastful because he thought the others respected him. He was so embarrassed. He felt like he wanted to crawl into a hole. There was just one suitable hole, so he stuck his face between his legs. Damn! It just made him feel a hundred times more miserable. He raised his head and rested the back of it loosely on the edge of the tank.

Sometimes he wondered if it would have been better if he'd never known anything. He wished he hadn't seen that text exchange. If that happened, he wondered if he could still be the center of his group starting tomorrow...

"Hm?"

Suddenly, he noticed a light reflecting off the ceiling. The light was a dim bluish light, different from the white of fluorescent lights, and it flickered, changing shape.

Next door...? How long had it been there...? There was a gap of about a foot at the top of the wall separating the toilets. The light from the adjacent bathroom seemed to be reflecting off the ceiling. He didn't hear any noise, but he wondered, "What's he doing?", he said to himself, thinking that the bathroom is a place to shit.

Trying not to make a sound, he climbed onto the toilet with his shoes on. He placed his hands on the top edge of the wall and stood on tiptoe to look into the next bathroom. He didn't think it was a big deal since it was the men's restroom. Well, it might have been a little embarrassing if his butt had been completely exposed, but the person was fully clothed, sitting on the toilet lid, and he could see his thin, hunched back and slender shoulders.

"Fushimi? What are you doing?"

That came out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about it.

His thin shoulders jumped dramatically. The person who had taken one end of the receiver out of his ear and turned to look at him was, yes, Fushimi. Two blue, plate-shaped objects appeared on Fushimi's lap and then suddenly disappeared.

"What the...?"

Fushimi's eyes widened, and he almost fell off the toilet lid. Yata could tell from his reaction that it would be surprising if he were suddenly called from above while he was inside the bathroom. But he was a little surprised that he had such a normal reaction.

"Sorry to scare you. I saw a light and thought it was something. But it's not like you were taking a shit, so it's okay, right? Aren't you in class?"

As he pushed his tilted glasses up, Fushimi's expression returned to normal.

"Get lost."

He spat that out and sat back down. As he gently ran his fingers over the PDA screen on his lap, the two plate-shaped objects he'd seen earlier appeared again. Positioned at an angle similar to that of an open laptop, the keyboard and screen were illuminated with a bluish, translucent light.

"What's that? It's cool. Does the PDA have something like that?"

Yata's eyes lit up.

"I made it."

"You made it?!"

What Yata imagined was Fushimi with pliers and wood glue in hand, assembling the PDA as if he were making a plastic model, but that probably wasn't the case. Incidentally, Yata has never built a plastic model exactly according to the finished drawing. Since he does things without reading the instructions, the final product ends up being somewhat different.

"Hey, can you put that on my PDA too?"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Yata leaned his stomach against the top of the partition and pushed his upper body to Fushimi's side.

"Oops.", he said, almost falling over, and kicking his legs, now completely off the floor, to regain his balance. He stared at the light display floating in front of Fushimi's gaze.

"Eh? But we're in class, right? Why's your PDA working? Mine is..."

When he took out his own PDA, it was locked and wouldn't accept any operations. That will continue until the end of school unless a disaster strikes or a parent makes an emergency call.

"Look, I can't operate mine, so why should yours work?"

"Get lost!"

Fushimi yelled as he turned around. As Yata was about to continue speaking, his eyes suddenly widened and he continued to smile.

Fushimi's hateful gaze pierced his chest.

"S-sorry..."

He shrugged, threw his head back, and then slipped out of the bathroom.

He sat sideways on the toilet facing the wall where Fushimi's bathroom was, facing the gap in the partition and remaining silent for a while.

"Uh, well... I won't make too much noise, can I talk to you? Fushimi, are you always idling alone?"

He couldn't remain silent for long, so he spoke solemnly.

He couldn't see him clearly because he was sitting in the back, but Fushimi often missed classes. He seemed like a frail child, so it could be that he was absent due to illness, but the teachers for each subject were always looking around the class and asking, "What's up with Fushimi?", so he was probably AWOL. Now he thinks he must have been quite brave to slack off alone despite his appearance as a good student.

"Actually, this is the first time I've ever relaxed on my own.", he confessed while scratching the back of his neck. In the month or so since he started middle school, he skipped classes a few times, but each time he invited his friends from Yata's class to join him.

There was no response from the person next to him, but he continued, wanting someone to listen.

"The Yata group was a group I created in my class... But, it seems my friends hated me, you know? The things I did for them seemed like a nuisance to them... But don't you think they should have said no if they didn't like me? It's so unfair that now they're saying they never wanted to spend time with me."

He ended by pouting and sounding like he was complaining.

"But you're not listening to what people are saying."

Just when he thought he was finally hearing a response from the person next to him, he was pushed aside with a sensible reason.

"Uh... ugh... that may be true, but..."

He tilted his head as if a heavy stone was being placed on top of him.

He hooked his heels on the toilet rim and sat with his knees hugged to his chest.

"I wonder if the same thing is happening to me complaining to Fushimi right now.", he said, discovering that if he spoke with his chin pressed against his knees, he would speak in a low, mumbled voice, similar to Fushimi.

"I wonder if it's the same as when those guys used the PDA to talk about me behind my back."

"Can't you even sulk alone?"

The cold voice drifted down the wall. There was no way to answer it, and he was devastated and said, "Ugh." But he did pay attention... about once out of three times. He was grateful that he answered, even if it's only once out of three times.

He lifted his chin from his knees and looked up at the ceiling. Just like before, a blue light was reflecting off the ceiling above the dividing wall. Once you know what light is, you can clearly see it reflecting off the PDA screen, and the screen changes rapidly. It seemed as if a small blue bird had been released from the ceiling and was playing by itself.

Why did he start complaining to Fushimi? He thought that if he was dealing with Fushimi, who had no one to hang out with, his complaints wouldn't get any attention... If that was the case, then maybe he was being quite cowardly and started feeling depressed again.

"I caught one."

Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from next door.

Yata was wondering if he had deliberately skipped class to play catch, when...

"You can come see him if you want."

He called out to him.

"Can I go there?"

"As long as you enter through legitimate means."

He heard the sound of the lock of the adjoining bathroom opening. When he called out to him again, he began to wonder if it was appropriate for two men to enter a bathroom together, but in any case, Yata could no longer contain his interest in what Fushimi was doing. He left his spot and, as instructed, this time went to the next door.

Just like before, a light panel shaped like a keyboard and screen floated over Fushimi's lap as he sat on the toilet. Yata squatted in front of Fushimi and looked at the display. The translucent screen was reversed from left to right, but Yata could see what was being shown even from his side.

He immediately realized it was a "Jungle" display. Several 3D characters walked freely in a space resembling a forest plaza. An avatar is a character that represents the user in a virtual space. At first, the character appears simply dressed, but you can customize the face, clothing, and belongings to your liking. After using it last night, Yata also wanted to make his avatar a little cooler, but the system requires you to pay to purchase any flashy costume items.

"Fushimi, your avatar... is this it?"

The one in the center appears to be Fushimi's avatar, but from the looks of it, it doesn't appear to have changed at all from the original. Yata compared the avatar in virtual space with Fushimi's face visible through the translucent screen.

Seen through the blue filter, Fushimi's face looked paler than usual and paler than his avatar, more doll-like.

"How about putting glasses on him?"

He mentioned it on a whim and he completely ignored it.

The avatar was so casual that it blended in with the other variously dressed avatars passing by, but it had an object in its hand that served as a marker. It was an axe.

Then, the screen shook with an effect as if something had collided, and the background changed.

It seemed like some kind of game had started. It didn't look like a fishing game. A collectible card game? Or a puzzle game? Or maybe a simulation game? The game screen seemed crammed with numerous elements, with an inordinate number of parameters and a complicated appearance.

"The game that's all the rage in "Jungle" right now is called "J-Cube". The opponent I just caught is one of yesterday's third-years."

The 3D cards and cube blocks seemed to swim and intertwine on the screen, but eventually they split into Fushimi's side and the opponent's side and formed something like a formation. Each person has five cards and five blocks.

"Oh, I've seen that too."

It was Yata's first time seeing the design on the card (wow, it's cool), but the cube blocks looked familiar. He's never had the actual item, but it's a famous puzzle.

The game is a hexahedron with each side made up of three rows of colored tiles, and players rotate the tiles horizontally or vertically, one row at a time, to collect tiles of the same color on one side. It's complete when all six sides are the same color, but even matching just one side should be quite difficult.

"Just so you understand, by combining the colors of the cubes you accumulate attack and defense power, which is then converted into card parameters, and the cards fight each other. Each color has an attribute; for example, red is "fire", green is "lightning", and white is "recovery". You can create combos by combining the five cubes. For example, if you line up the red faces of the five cubes, you get a 5-combo "fire". There's also an element of strategic simulation, so if you distribute forces between your own base and captured bases, secure supply lines, and manage politics to prevent rebellions."

"Oh, I don't think I know anything more than that, so it doesn't matter."

Halfway through the explanation, Yata gave up. Yata likes games too. In fact, he likes them "a lot". The games he's best at are rhythm games and racing games that require physical movement in arcades, but he's also pretty good at fighting and shooting games. While he's the type to do things without any discrimination, he's not good at things that require memorizing rules or using his brain to make long-range predictions. Woosh! Pow! He believes the true fun of games lies in instinct and reflexes, so he doesn't think he'll ever be compatible with strategic simulations.

Glancing mockingly at Yata, Fushimi glossed over the explanation of the simulation part.

"A depleted card's stamina will gradually recover over time, but if you use a paid item, you can restore it instantly and continue playing. You can also purchase items to strengthen cards for a fee. That's the bad thing about this game... Those guys are investing a fortune. Hundreds of thousands."

"Hundreds of thousands!"

Of course, if they run out of pocket money, they'll get desperate and try to extort money.

"Eh? But you know, aren't the third-years still in class?"

He'd wondered that before, but why can Fushimi and the third-years play during class time, when the PDAs are supposed to be locked?

"Sure, you can't normally do that. But installing "Jungle" creates a vulnerability. The manufacturer of this PDA has very strong security, but "Jungle" can bypass it and infiltrate the system, installing spyware."

"Oh... yeah, I see."

Yata nodded in agreement, but of course he had no idea what was going on.

"Five minutes left."

Then Fushimi looked at the digital clock on the edge of the screen. Before he knew it, a long time had passed. Five minutes before the end of the first period. During recess, people will probably come to use the bathroom.

"Five minutes will be enough."

Fushimi squinted behind his glasses.

The word "Fight!" appeared on the screen, and the battle began.

Suddenly, Fushimi's fingers began to run at incredible speed across the keyboard made of light. The cube spun on the screen, and the colors of the tiles scattered all over the room began to align. The six sides of the first cube aligned so quickly that Yata's eyes couldn't follow what was happening. The card was charged with an enormous amount of energy and attacked the opponent's cards. The health of the opponent's cards was gradually depleted in a way that was thrilling to watch. The screen shook as if it could hear the cards screaming.

"I see... that was a trap."

The person who challenged him to a battle probably never imagined that someone controlling such a random avatar, still in its almost initial state, would be so strong. They must have underestimated him, assuming he was a user who had just started using "Jungle".

Fushimi's cube spun brilliantly, and the colors on the six sides matched quickly, but compared to that, his opponent's cube was slow to handle. All he had to do was align one side, or at best both sides, and convert it into energy little by little.

What was even more surprising was that Fushimi wasn't manipulating the cubes one by one. Yata didn't know how he did it, but he was spinning several cubes on the screen at the same time. The combos he mentioned earlier exploded one after another. His movements were very fast, and he didn't seem to have time to think. His slender fingers danced across the keyboard, as if he were actually grasping and playing with the cubes on the screen.

"Wow..."

Yata couldn't help but murmur in awe.

The opponent was trying to somehow turn the tide of the battle by using more and more items that cost money. It was probably a card they'd invested time and money into developing, so losing it would be painful. Yata used to collect trading cards as well, so he understood that feeling. However, the more panicked they were, the less likely the cubes would be to fit. The enemy's panic on the other side of the screen was palpable.

Across the screen, the corners of Fushimi's mouth curled. A dark, warm smile appeared on Fushimi's face, which normally wore a sullen, scowling expression.

This was the meaning of "I'll smash them twice as hard". Destroying the cards they cherished and cared for in their PDAs, and making them throw their money away. All Yata could think about was fighting back with his fists or getting the cash back. The thought of Fushimi even sent shivers down his spine.

(This guy is scary... But... he's awesome...!)

Before he knew it, Yata's attention had shifted from the battle unfolding on the screen to Fushimi's face visible beyond it. The white face was distorted into jagged pieces by a mosaic pattern of dancing cubes on the screen. His visage resembled that of a purgatory guardian, gleefully watching the criminals burn in the flames.

++++++++++

There were two more extortionists left. They'd likely have been wary of the existence of vicious users who disguise themselves as beginners, stalking and crushing any fool who casually tries their luck, having heard about it from the first victim, so there was a good chance they'd have avoided Fushimi (though it's unlikely they knew that avatar's owner was Fushimi).

Fushimi carefully spaced two or three days between each one, waiting until the remaining two players let their guard down, and then cleverly orchestrated a match, squeezing them dry of their virtual assets in the form of cards and their real assets in the form of fees.

It took a week for the three of them to be completely exposed; in terms of actual playtime alone, that was more than enough, but all three ended up having to pay tens of thousands of yen in in-game purchases. They should have been pale by now.

On the way home a week later.

"Hey, Fushimi, I heard a rumor. If you don't pay your bills, a creepy, masked debt collector from "Jungle" will come and take any bodily tissue that can be converted into money. They'll draw your blood and rip off your skin!"

Yata asked Fushimi, with a look of horror on his face but also a hint of curiosity.

"It's an urban legend."

He was a little disappointed by the curt reply and thought, "Eh? Isn't that true?"

He was getting used to Fushimi's rude reactions. It seemed like it wasn't that the topic Yata was bringing up was bad, but rather that it was simply Fushimi's normal state.

"Thanks to drawing those cards, your deck has become super strong, right? And with your cube skills, no one will be able to stand in your way."

"Yeah. I don't want to do anything else in "Jungle" anymore, and it's gotten boring."

Fushimi, despite his brash mouth, seemed to have his ego satisfied to a certain extent, and for his part, he didn't seem to be in a bad mood.

"If you want the cards, I'll give them all to you. I'll stop now."

"Uh... I don't need it."

He hesitated for a moment, but decided against it. He had seen Fushimi do it and wanted to try, but if he started and then Fushimi quit, it wouldn't be fun.

For the past week, he has gotten used to going home with Fushimi.

Yata was standing next to him, so he wasn't sure if Fushimi was planning on riding home with him. Yata hopped on his bike and pedaled to and from Fushimi. "Oops." Sometimes he stumbles and almost collides with Fushimi, but even that's really funny.

"But, even if it's just an urban legend, I'm sure they're already scared. If they don't pay their next bill, who knows if a masked debt collector might show up."

It was comforting to imagine the third-year students fearing that they'd be caught by the dreaded debt collectors at any moment, their blood drained, and their skin ripped off.

"They'll need extra money and get desperate and start extorting."

After bursting out laughing,

"Yes?"

Sometimes, he suddenly realized what he'd said.

"Hey, Fushimi? I'll ask you anyway, but since it's you, of course we need to know what our next steps are..."

Suddenly, his bike was yanked from behind. His head was violently whipping from side to side, and when he turned, precariously standing, he saw someone standing there, holding onto the frame of the bike rack. It was one of those third-years.

Suddenly, he looked ahead and saw the remaining two appear from the woods, blocking his way.

It's that quiet path that runs between the back of the school and the shrine forest. Although it's close to the school, it's a road the students don't use to get around by bus, so unfortunately there's no one around.

"Could you lend me more money, Fushimi-kun? Eighty thousand yen. I really need it."

The two in front stood on either side of Fushimi, covering him. One of the people in the back was holding Yata's bicycle.

"I don't have any money."

"If you don't, of course you'll bring it from home right now, Fushimi-kun. We're in serious trouble. You have to put yourself in each other's shoes when we're in trouble, right?"

With a clear tone of threat in their voices, the two approached Fushimi. There was a sense of urgency in the atmosphere compared to when they got involved last week. Maybe they simply needed the money and didn't want revenge after discovering it was Fushimi who had beaten them so brutally.

Fushimi took a slight step back. He unleashed murderous intent, ready to headbutt them again if they came even an inch closer.

Surely those guys, who had already suffered that counterattack once, wouldn't be stupid enough to attack them the same way without taking any countermeasures? Yata quickly glanced at the third-year students. One of them was holding something in his jacket pocket...

(These guys are armed...?!)

The moment Yata glimpsed what looked like a Swiss Army knife, he kicked the third-year student in the chest as he held onto the bike rack.

Caught off guard, the third-year let out a grunt and stepped back. Using the momentum of the kick, Yata kicked his bike and crashed into Fushimi and the two remaining third-year students.

"What?"

The two third-year students jumped back in panic.

"Fushimi, hop on!"

He slammed on the brakes and shouted back. The third-year students became nervous and tried to capture Fushimi. A chill ran down his spine as the knife sped toward Fushimi's face.

"Fushimi!"

Just in time, literally by a hair, Fushimi dodged the knife and ran toward him.

Yata immediately began pedaling his bike forward. Fushimi, who had caught up with him, jumped onto the moving bike. Surprised at how agile he was despite not looking capable of exercising, he pressed hard on the pedals and picked up speed in one fell swoop.

"Don't fall!"

Yata shouted, then leaned forward and pedaled with all his might.

Pedal hard! Harder!

"Here we go!"

His own determined voice drowned out the third-years' voices, and they faded away.

As they started down, he decided he'd gone far enough and looked back. Although he could vaguely hear angry voices, the third-year students had completely disappeared across the street. Fushimi also looked back as he gripped the edge of his chair to steady himself.

"Phew! We're over it now."

He gasped, but it felt great.

"If you think about it, it's obvious, right? If Fushimi forces those guys to spend money on the game, then they'll come back to Fushimi and ask for money, creating a cycle. What were you going to do then?"

"What? I hadn't thought of that."

Fushimi turned to him, adjusted his position, and said with a sullen look on his face.

"Eh? You didn't think of that?"

"When I came up with the worst way to get revenge on them, I wanted to crush them with it as quickly as possible, and after that, I didn't care about anything else."

Fushimi wasn't just defiant, he was even proud.

Yata was surprised and looked back at the bespectacled Fushimi, who looked like a very intelligent character.

"You seemed so sure of yourself, but it can't be true. Those guys were carrying knives. It would have been worse than a beating like the other day. It's only natural that those guys would escalate their methods to hurt you, think about it for a moment. Maybe there weren't people like that at the school where you grew up, like a spoiled brat..."

"If you don't want to get involved, don't cling to me. It's not you they're after. You don't seem to have any money."

"I didn't say that! Why are you so twisted? I'm doing this for you!"

He raised his voice in irritation at the perverse response, but then calmed down.

That's the same thing he told his friends in the Yata group. He didn't help them because he wanted to impose his goodwill on them... and even now, it's not like he was pedaling so hard because he wanted Fushimi to thank him. "I did it for you." No... that was the reason...

The bike stuck out too far from the street, so passing cars were honking at it.

It's a two-seater, which can be problematic if you get caught by the police. He stopped talking and focused on pedaling forward.

Yata silently led Fushimi, who was sulking and quiet behind him.

Yata was unsure of the reason why he'd been so excited when he managed to escape, shaking off the third-year students who were chasing and shouting at him.

Because he wasn't alone.

After all, riding a bike with someone behind him and pedaling as hard as you can while escaping from the bad guys together sounds like a pretty exciting adventure.

#k #k project #k stories #yata misaki #fushimi saruhiko #lsw #lost small world #sarumi

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