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Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter1

2013-09-19T02:02:03Z

GoldenFyre: /* 2 */

== Chapter One - The Disinherited Son Returns ==

=== Part 1 ===

"What bad taste……"

That was the first impression he had of this client. Incidentally, this impression did not change in the slightest all the way to the end. A mansion sat arrogantly on the hill, set in a high-class residential area, displaying its design that completely disregarded the harmony of its surroundings. If one were to disregard the mansion thus far, one might have to say it was a rather magnificent view. Climbing up Governor's Hill presented a vast view of the land's rich scenery. When he saw it, he was honestly and completely stunned.

''(Did Turkish harems have this feeling?)''

Yagami Kazuma didn't seem to be joking when he thought that. "Don't paint the walls of a Japanese house in such wild colors!" he wanted to preach, while grabbing that person's collar. It was that kind of house.This area could probably be considered the origin of Japan's Westernization movement. The first gaslight was lit here and the very first ice cream in Japan was sold here. One would expect it to be a stylish, refined town with a distinguished history.

''(Considering that, this is probably something like a breach of contract…)'' 

He saw a decorated [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Golden Carp|golden carp]] on the roof and let out a sigh. The image that was held dear in Yokohama, had crumbled away completely, with a clattering sound.

When he accepted the job at the agency, he was given not only an address, but also a detailed map that was completely unnecessary. By asking the neighborhood residents, "what's the house with the poorest taste around here?" even a monkey could manage to find his way here.

- A structure painful to the eyes —— he didn't want to call it a house —— that when seen, made Kazuma look up to the sky, begging. The sky was empty and blue.

"Hey, at least it's work…" he muttered, trying to convince himself.

However, this was the same Kazuma whose looks probably wouldn't by any means be called appropriate for work. Wearing a checkered shirt covered by a black jacket with jeans and sneakers, this 22-year-old man seemed, no matter how one looked at him, no different than a student from a nearby university. He was completely blind to his own faults though. As he continued his observations, he noticed something strange. The dark aura that covered the mansion was thicker than he was told; because of this, perhaps even an ordinary person with no psychic background could sense the aura that was presently surrounding the mansion.

''(Maybe I should just go back…)''

Nagged by a horribly bad premonition, Kazuma's thought were halfway serious. The dark aura covering the mansion was something more unearthly than he had expected, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't deal with it. For this reason, his premonition was that of a bad omen.

Yet, something else was up.

Judging from his experiences up until then, it was a credible and important premonition. However, he couldn't throw away this job on that alone. This was his first assignment in Japan; if he broke off the arrangement with a reason like that, there was no doubt that he would never get any jobs from the agency in the future. He made his way toward the mansion with heavy steps and stopped in front of a ridiculously huge gate. As he stood in front of the doorbell, Kazuma was still unsure if he should continue this job. Danger signals bombarded his instincts and he couldn't help wanting to run away. However...

"Yagami-sama, I presume."

Without any warning, a female voice came from the intercom and completely disrupted Kazuma's thinking. He jumped back with a start and stood on guard as the voice continued.

"You've been expected. Kindly enter through the door on the side."

Click. As she spoke, a small door towards the right side of the gate unlocked. Apparently, there was no one to escort him inside.

''(Compared with that "you've been expected," that's some rude treatment…)''

He felt uncomfortable, but he was dealing with a customer. He entered through the side door as instructed. Inside the fence was a large number of security cameras and sensors.

"They must live a very shadowy life..." Kazuma muttered.

Multiple cameras followed him as he walked into the entryway. Irritation rose in him, almost to the point of wanting to kill whoever put him under this rude surveillance. Somehow though, Kazuma managed to repress himself.

"Eeek……"

That was what he'd intended, but apparently it showed on his face. The maid who came to greet him became fearful of him as if she had just come across a man-eating bear. Kazuma hurriedly smoothed over his expression.

"Welcome! Please, come this way."

Somehow she changed her face of terror, as if she were being picked up and eaten, to an overly bright smile. It didn't seem possible for someone to change their expression so dramatically, forgetting their suspicions instantly, yet the maid smiled as if nothing had happened. As the maid walked ahead to lead him to the living room, Kazuma observed her gratifyingly swaying bottom.

''(It would have been better if I'd left…)''

Kazuma felt deep regret at his choice as soon as he arrived at the living room and saw what was inside. A thin, little man laid back with his legs outstretched, introduced himself as Sakamoto Nanigashi, the master of the mansion. Kazuma recognized him as the client, but he wasn't alone. There was also a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Practitioner|practitioner]] in the room whose face he knew all to well. That practitioner, upon seeing Kazuma, showed fear on his face for a moment but immediately twisted his lips into a sneer and glared at Kazuma with a face full of scorn.

"What? The other practitioner was you Kazuma? You became a disinherited child of the Kannagi because of your incompetence and now you dare to call yourself a practitioner?"

Those explanatory words were probably for Sakamoto to hear. Practitioner——Kannagi. The youngest child of the branch family, Yuuki Shinji, truly took great pleasure in mocking Kazuma. Sakamoto showed the response that Shinji expected. His expression changed as he approached Kazuma.

"Is this true? Isn't this different from what you said? You said you were a top-class spiritual practitioner, which was why I hired you!"

Kazuma, calmly making a step back with each step his client made forward, answered...

"I don't know what the person at the agency told you but if you're dissatisfied, perhaps I should leave?"

"Hmmph, that's right."

Sakamoto's eyes showed a faintly cunning light. Kazuma's desire to work, which was scarce even at the best of times, quickly neared zero.

"Mmmm, how about this? Why don't you both try the exorcism and only the successful one gets paid? Ahh, naturally, I won't tell the loser to return the advance payment."

"Good idea, yeah."

They were flippant words, but Shinji had immediately accepted them. Then, with the face of someone who was completely made a fool of, he asked Kazuma.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm out."

Kazuma gave an immediate reply. In the scornful stares of the two, not even a muscle of their eyebrow moved.

"Hmmph, coward! Sucking your finger like a baby! I'll show you a model example of an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Enjutsu|Enjutsu]]."

"Model example eh? Tough talk for the youngest child of the branch family."

"Y-you!"

Shinji was enraged from being insulted by the person who he looked down upon. Completely forgetting about being in front of a client, he tightened a fist and lunged forward. He sent a powerful punch directed at Kazuma's face, yet Kazuma easily dodged the punch by stepping aside to his left. Shinji, who had inserted a great deal of force into his punch, lost his balance and fell. At the last moment, he managed to make it look like a feint by attempting to kick Kazuma's temple from his blind spot.

However, Kazuma, as if he had seen it coming, casually bent his head back. The heel of Shinji's left leg passed by a few millimeters in front of his eyes. Kazuma moved like the leaves of a tree swaying in the wind, without hesitation. After dodging Shinji's kick, he immediately swept Shinji's pivoting leg, making him trip and fall down on all fours to the floor. 

"Sh-shit!"

Shinji barely managed to perform an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Ukemi|ukemi]] and quickly got back up. Incorrigible, he assumed a fighting posture.

"You! Do you think that you can beat me in [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Taijutsu|Taijutsu]]? You were not even a match for the me from four years ago. There's no way you can be an opponent for me right now." 

"Sh-shut up!"

Kazuma did not show the least bit of triumph. He chided disinterestedly, as if facing a defiant child. Being looked down upon from such a securely elevated position, Shinji's reason made a sound and broke.

"Stop it right there you two."

A restraining voice broke in, turning the two heads towards the speaker. Sakamoto showed great satisfaction at successfully getting both their attention. In a tone as if he was scolding a child, he shouted...

"I didn't call you here to fight! The furnishings in this room, no matter which one you look at, are all more expensive than what I'm paying you! Any kind of rough behavior would be troublesome, okay?"

Suddenly, around the vicinity of money talk, there was a scumbag. The person in question was probably attempting to flaunt his assets, but for the ones made to listen, it was nothing but the stink of the ''nouveau riche'' pushed up their noses.

''(Maybe I'll leave… since I still get the advance payment...)''

With the discomfort continuing to rise with no end in sight, Kazuma's desire to work had already disappeared. He couldn't ignore the agony of simply being in the place.

"Mm……?"

Instantly, without warning, an unearthly presence began to converge...

"It's coming..."

The unearthly presence spread throughout the mansion and directed its focus to one point in the living room. Kazuma casually moved back so that Sakamoto and Shinji were between himself and this presence.

"What's that? What just…?"

The unearthly presence solidified into a smoky black figure. Shinji, seconds slower than Kazuma, finally noticed it too.

"Hmmm, so it came out?"

"Wh-what? What's wrong?"

Hesitatingly breaking the suddenly tense atmosphere, Sakamoto shouted in a shrill voice.

Kazuma answered in place of Shinji, who was already beginning to focus his mind for the use of a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Jutsu|jutsu]].

"It's time to work. The 'evil spirit', or whatever you've been struggling with just came out."

While giving this offhand explanation, Kazuma felt a beyond-ordinary sense of unease.

''(That's no evil spirit. What kind of thing is it?)''

When Kazuma first accepted this assignment, the person at the agency said "It is just a normal evil-spirit exorcism."

—— Hey, your first job should be one of these, right? If you're as good as the rumors say, you should be able to take that evil spirit with one hand or another ——

A superficial seeming man, but with definite achievements. Their kind of work was, in some sense, even more than practitioners', it was a work where confidence was life. Making a mistake this big was extremely unlikely. It wasn't an easy business, so such an irresponsible agent would not survive.

''(Was I set up? Well, fine. Should I just observe his skill?)''

Kazuma leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked about as if sightseeing. Shinji focused his mind to prepare himself for the appearance of the "evil spirit." He was apparently planning to burn it the moment it appeared. It was easy to see from his expression. Suddenly, the space in front of Shinji turned dark and thick. Shinji faced both his palms towards each other in order to set up a transparent ball in front of his chest. A small fire ignited between those palms.

''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooon……''

A voice full of resentment shook the air as the evil spirit revealed itself. A distorted face stood before them, projecting hatred across the room.


"Eeep!"

"HAAAA!!"

Paying no attention to the screaming Sakamoto, Shinji released a devastating flame alongside a sharp yell. The evil spirit would be cleansed on contact with the summoned fire and would disappear without a trace... or so Shinji believed. However...

"Idiot."
''
Gioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo……''

While the evil spirit's cries of agony echoed and Shinji snickered...the flame exploded.

"Gahhhhhhhhhh!?"

Shinji screamed as he was wrapped in the flames that he had summoned. In a moment, the entire living room was engulfed in flames.

''Kakakakakakakakakakakakakakakaka''

The entity before them had overcome Shinji's attack and had devoured the flame. The [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Youma|youma]] began to sneer with laughter.

=== Part 2 ===

Even among the ''Enjutsu'' users who could freely manipulate fire, the Kannagi family was famous for their superior strength. It was not simply because their power was great. The reason laid in the special ability passed on in their family's blood. The flame they manipulated was not created by the physical phenomenon of simply accelerating molecular motion. It possessed the power to burn away impurities and destroy evil.

Because of this "purifying flame" the Kannagi family practitioners held absolute dominance over ''youma'', evil spirits, and all beings who transgressed the law. However, even with the ability given by blood, depending on the extent to which their blood was diluted with each generation, it was inevitable that their power would eventually deteriorate.

The branch family practitioners had long lost the highest rank of the "gold" flame attribute. If a youma with a fire attribute was their opponent, the flame that they released would merely be absorbed by the youma instead of purifying and destroying it.

...Which was what had happened just now——

The living room had become a purgatory. The high-class furniture and the shag carpet were already carbonizing. The glass from the chandelier on the ceiling had melted and turned into a grotesque art object. This wouldn't have happened if someone from the head family branch had purified the youma. 

"I wonder if he's dead..." Kazuma muttered with a refreshed face.

A cool breeze wrapped around Kazuma, preventing the raging fire from touching him. Even the heat that the flame emitted was sealed off; not a drop of sweat was on Kazuma's face. 

"H-help……"

A frail voice rang in his eardrums. Kazuma looked down at the blackened object at his feet.

His client Sakamoto had rolled into the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Kekkai|kekkai]], screaming. He didn't seem to be dead though he was burned here and there.

"Aaaaaa! He-help me!"

Sakamoto screamed as he clung onto Kazuma's legs. However, Kazuma heartlessly kicked away his client.

''Thud!''

Sakamoto's face writhed in pain as he was mercilessly trampled upon. Since Kazuma didn't want to touch anything beyond his slippers, he brought down his heel instead of stepping on him. The skull could have been making a creaking sound, but that wasn't a big problem.

Kazuma stepped on Sakamoto's head and stated clearly: "you're not my client and I don't have a habit of saving middle-aged men."

"If it's money, I'll pay. Twice as much, or so…"

"Twice? Is your life worth only a million?"

Kazuma took a cigarette from his pocket. He gently stretched out his hand, exposing the cigarette's tip outside of the kekkai and began to smoke.

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 019.jpg|thumb]]

Sakamoto didn't have the luxury to be so relaxed though. Whether by chance or on purpose, there were holes in the area of the kekkai near Sakamoto. Some of the flames passed through the holes and touched him.

"Hot-! Ee-eeee! Help! Fine!! I'll pay 10 million!"

"Thanks for your business."

Upon tossing away his cigarette, Kazuma's face let out a smile similar to that of a demon who had made a profitable deal.

"All right now. Then, won't you please stand back?"

Kazuma kicked Sakamoto in the rear, sending him rolling into the side of the room and proclaimed, "you're in the way."

He began muttering in a low voice and waved his right hand sideways in a mowing motion. As if being squeezed out by his hand, the raging fire was instantly expelled through the window.

The fire didn't spread to the grass and trees in the garden. Instead, it scattered and then vanished.

At that moment, a fireball with a distorted face floated in the center of the room. Now the youma's true form was in front of Kazuma.

''Hyuuoou-''

In place of the extinguished fire, wind raged across the room. Kazuma stood quietly and with his hand still in his jacket pocket, directed the wind to erase the flames still remaining in the room.

The fight was already over. The youma was unable to even put up any resistance against Kazuma's overwhelming power as it was torn to pieces. All that was left to do was wait for its annihilation.

"And with this…"

Kazuma slowly raised his right hand. A person gifted with the sixth sense would have been terrified upon seeing the amount of wind power that was gathering in his hand.

"…The end!"

The hand swung down ten times faster than it came up. From his right hand, an invisible blade that sliced through air came forth, slicing the youma neatly in two.

There were no spirit fragments remaining. Kazuma quietly observed the destroyed youma with a calm look.

"Finished," Kazuma told Sakamoto. Sakamoto was still lying on the floor, dumbfounded.

"Pay the money in three days. Otherwise, would you like to regret having ever been born?"

It was identical to what a criminal would say. Even if it was a mistake, it wasn't the way one would speak to a customer.

However, Sakamoto, realizing the horror of going against Kazuma, didn't even dare to complain.

"Y-yes. Understood. But something terrible has happened to Yuuki-kun. I never thought something so serious would happen."

Without a word Kazuma approached what appeared to be the ashes of Shinji's remains and trampled on them to Sakamoto's despair. As expected, Sakamoto protested... 

"Wh-what are you doing!? I don't know whatever happened between you two but please give respect to the dead!"

"He's not dead..." Kazuma dryly spat the words out and then continued to kick Shinji again and again.

Upon doing so, the ash covering the surface fell off; Sakamoto noticed that Shinji appeared to be undamaged by the flame that had covered him a while ago.

"Wh-wha……?"

Sakamoto doubted his eyes as he beheld the unbelievable scene. Kazuma gave an offhand explanation.

"All of the Kannagi bloodline receive the divine protection of the fire spirits. Even people from a branch family wouldn't die in this degree of fire." 

Kazuma curled his lips in self-derision and added, "though I'm the exception."

"Uu……Guu……"

Shinji murmured, waking up. After looking around him, he confirmed that the youma was destroyed.

"You did this?"

"It's just like you saw."

''Who do you think you are, saying whatever you please?''——Kazuma was already aware that Shinji was conscious the whole time. Shinji hurriedly attempted an explanation.

"So you noticed……? But I couldn't help. I honestly couldn't move."

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

Kazuma coldly stated this over his shoulder, as he turned his back. Shinji called out to the unhesitating figure leaving. There was still something he wanted to ask.

"Why did you return?"

"On a whim, I guess."

At Kazuma's lazy answer, Shinji sharpened his gaze thinking that his question had been evaded.

"'A whim...' Do you believe the elders will accept that?"

"I was only disinherited, I wasn't exiled. Where I go is my business."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing in particular," Kazuma answered curtly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you returning to the Kannagi?"

"Not even if I die."

Kazuma answered as if spitting out the words. Then, this time, without hesitation, he walked off.

Shinji was driven by a sense of unease that he couldn't suppress. He continued to stare at Kazuma.

''(I have to tell this to the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Soushu|soushu]] as soon as possible…)''

In a sense, Shinji's unease was on the mark. From that moment, a war to push the Kannagi into the abyss of ruin began.

===3===

"Did you know? It seems that Kazuma has returned to Japan. What's more, he's become a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"What! That incompetent guy? It must be dead simple, then, to be a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"Nope, 'I'm a dark magician' is what I heard. For him to become a practitioner, he'd have to sell his soul to the devil, right?"

"Ah, that's probably true."

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"

That day, rumors about Kazuma were the talk of the Kannagi main house. Of the elders (the general term for those who retired from active service and are now overseeing the management of the practitioners) who heard Shinji's report, only one refrained from jokingly spreading around nonsense.

Shinji was currently under probation for the offense of the aforesaid failure of his duty. Tail fin, dorsal fin, belly fins; all were wildly added to the rumor, until it grew to maturity. Not one person tried to stop it.

The source of the rumors, the elders, appeared to be in complete delight. The people known as ''elders''—excluding the extremely serious exceptions—were basically men of leisure. "Looking important is work," and so on, was the gossip some attacked with.

When there was no work, they would drink tea all day and amuse themselves by talking about various topics. Obviously, they could not resist something interesting to talk about.

They danced with joy inside upon hearing Shinji's news. The elders, when they passed the verdict of probation on the dejected Shinji, even had something of a skipping type of light gait while they drank tea and turned back to each other. They haphazardly began talking like this:

"Ohh, did you know…?"

The elders, during this work time, were like different people in energetic activity.

Within an hour, there was almost nobody in the huge mansion who had not heard of Kazuma's return to the country. It certainly reached the servants, spreading to all kinds of people afterwards.

It was, in short, a situation where almost nobody knew the true facts. It wasn't a big problem for the elders, though, since their attitude was pretty much, ''If it's interesting, who cares what happens later!''

And so, news of Kazuma spread in the exact opposite direction which Shinji had hoped for.

To wit:

"Kazuma's returned as a dark magician."

"Kazuma was secretly murdered; he's buried in the back garden."

"Kazuma clashed with Shinji during work and suddenly killed him."

"Kazuma made a contract with the wind spirits. An evil demon."

The truth was subtly mixed in, but it was distorted so much that nobody could really interpret it. Obviously, no one feared Kazuma's retribution.

Kazuma, the main family's failure who had left all his talent in his mother's womb, like liquid skimmed off the top, had found a preferable power to take in, it seemed. Nobody laughed at that.

However, there were a small number of exceptions. One of them was the current suzerain, Kannagi Juugo. During supper, in the humorous talk that was being told, there was one item Juugo was interested in.

"Ohhhh? Kazuma chose Fuujutsu? Did you know that, Genma?"

Juugo spoke to his cousin sitting next to him. For some reason, as if harboring some ill will, Genma's smile was filled with hatred.

"…Oh"

Genma answered briefly. Apparently the rumor had already reached his ears, as he didn't appear disturbed.

However, it was clear he wasn't happy about the rumor either. The saying, ''like someone chewing up a bitter bug,'' perfectly described his frown as he gripped a tight fist.

''If Kazuma was in front of me, I'd want to strangle him to death.'' His expression openly displayed his thoughts.

"It's shameful."

"It's not especially shameful." Juugo answered lightly. He gave a command to a nearby servant: "I would like to hear a detailed account. Call Shinji."

"Certainly."

The moment he arrived, Shinji bowed down so low that he scraped the tatami in his prostration. His tension was great; he was sweating from his forehead and breathing awkwardly.

Truthfully, the difference in status between Kannagi's main family and branch family was absolute. It was impossible for the branch family to even dream of a revolution.

Tradition and social status meant nothing in Kannagi's system. The two families were simply separated by the overwhelming difference in power.

If a rebellion were to occur, Enjutsu practitioners like Juugo or Genma could simply smash everyone in the branch family by wiggling a finger. Because of this hopeless difference in power, no thoughts of rebellion were harbored.

Therefore, Shinji's tension was understandable. He was in front of Juugo, whose superiority was similar to a god, and had to recount his clumsy failure. This was definitely worse than his original feelings.

"Raise your face. You don't have to humble yourself like that."

Juugo spoke in a friendly manner. However, looking into the suzerain's face and speaking was far too overwhelming for Shinji. In the end, he raised his face, but his eyes still stared at the tatami as he submitted his report.

"A-and, I now have the privilege of being allowed to give this report."

"…I see."

After Shinji finished recounting everything, Juugo remained silent for a while after saying that.

"…I see."

As if to confirm, he repeated it once more. He closed his eyes lightly, and reminisced back to when his nephew (to be accurate, the relation was more separated than that, but he used the label since it was too much trouble) had left 4 years ago.

''(—What a poor child he was.)''

If Kazuma had been born to any but the Kannagi family, he would probably have been considered a superior child. Excellent intellect, good reflexes, and great promise in learning the jutsu; all jutsu except one. He was unable to manipulate fire.

However, for the Kannagi family, this was the most important ability.

No matter what else he was proficient at, someone with no talent for manipulating fire was treated as incompetent. Because of this, Kazuma was no longer part of the Kannagi.

''Still—'' Juugo thought.

''(Why didn't you ask me for help, Kazuma? There was no need to disown you from the family. If it was me, I would have made a place for you. Whatever Genma said, I wouldn't have cared about the Enjutsu, I would have made use of your talent, yet despite that…)''

Juugo looked down at his right leg. It was made of metal and plastic. If that accident hadn't happened, and the "rule of inheritance" hadn't been rushed, would Kazuma be here right now?

Unfortunately, it was far too late. Kazuma had thrown away the family, their name; all that was Kannagi, and had left Japan. This was reality. The ''past'' is a thing that could never be changed.

"…Suzerain?"

An uncertain voice brought Juugo back to reality. Looking around, he found everyone in an awkward silence. It wasn't surprising, as there were almost none among them who had not tormented Kazuma.

However, the one who had driven Kazuma out was calm. That person, Genma, spoke without a single change in his expression.

"Suzerain. Kazuma is already someone without any connection to the Kannagi. There is no need to worry about him."

"Genma, you would say that of your own son—"

"I have only one son, Ren."

Genma spoke coolly, interrupting the suzerain's words. Juugo considered replying, but, disliking unproductive battles, he decided to put other, safer words into his mouth.

"It's fine then. After all, Kazuma has become successful in Fuujutsu. Maybe it was best that he left the Kannagi... Or maybe, Hyoue, if he had been entrusted to your care, could he have become skilled and powerful?" 

"Perhaps." Sitting at a lower seat, Hyoue, the head of the Fuuga clan, answered sullenly. 

Genma again cut in with an objection.

"We are all afraid even though Fuujutsu and such are, after all, lower arts? The most they are capable of is acting as assistants to Enjutsu practitioners. Even if we had known 4 years ago of Kazuma's talent for Fuujutsu and left him to people like the Fuuga clan, clearly, we would still have had to disinherit him."

Hearing his art publicly insulted, Hyoue twisted his face in humiliation. However, nobody paid any attention to Hyoue nor his face.

To the Kannagi family, who only valued fighting power, the Fuuga clan, having been given the reconnaissance and battle support duties, was limited to a lower status. Genma was not trying to start a fight. He was not saying anything beyond the normal beliefs of the other Kannagi.

"…We will go no further with this talk. Dinner will become unpleasant."

At Juugo's words, everyone clearly showed relieved expressions on their faces. As if on cue, cheerful talk began, and they rolled around laughing at silly jokes.

Though awkwardly, the usual dining hall atmosphere returned.

And so, nobody noticed the dark light harbored in Hyoue's eyes. He suppressed his thoughts from showing up on his expression, and murmured in a voice so small it did not even reach his own ears.

"I will not forget this disgrace, Genma…"

=== 4 ===

"Kannagi……no, Yagami Kazuma……? You came back at a very good time!"

"Huo-huo-huo……" A hoarse laugh broke the strained silence. Not a single streak of light could be found in the single room filled with darkness.

"And……?"

"Yes, it's better if everyone hears this. Finally, the time has come. The time when we shall dispel the disgrace that has lasted 300 years. Now is the time for us to regain the power we lost, and return to our previous, glorious position."

"Ohhhhhhhhh…………"

A stifled commotion filled the air. No one shouted. Afraid of being discovered, they kept their breaths in check, keeping their tension locked inside the room.

"Oh, when you finally realize it, you Kannagi... We will overthrow you and leave not a single one remaining… Kukuku…"

A low and gloomy voice echoed with resentment darker than darkness...

''"U-uwaaaaaaaaaaaa! Wha-what, what are you doing-?!"''

Late at night on that same day, Shinji screamed out in terror. Nearby were two freshly severed heads, which tumbled down onto the floor. Following them were two headless corpses. And standing before him, a human?

Shinji was unable to say for certain. There was nothing different from a human by outward appearance, but it possessed an aura that a human could not possibly have.

The two corpses——who had been alive until 30 seconds ago——had been captured in a ''kekkai'' without any chance to prepare themselves and were immediately decapitated.

The mysterious person had not moved a single finger. And yet Shinji had clearly witnessed an incredible force slicing the two heads off as if they were nothing. Or rather, Shinji had been forced to witness.

Even though the other two surpassed him in skill, Shinji was the only person left alive. It wasn't because of luck. Shinji realized this more than anyone else.

He was being toyed with. This demon in human shape was feeding on Shinji's fear and hopelessness. It held off killing him for the moment, playing with him lazily, enjoying his empty resistance.

"What the hell?! What did I do…?"

The ''thing'' gave no answer. It came closer without even making footsteps, taking its time.

The ''thing'' remained completely silent. Nothing came out as it drew closer, wielding an invisible sword.

Silence even after severing those heads. The two blood-covered heads rolling on the ground seemed not to have noticed their own deaths, still having drunken, relaxed slack smiles.

Shinji knew of only one person who could do what this ''thing'' had just done. He had just met that person yesterday. In addition, that person had a motive to kill them.

Shinji became frantic, begging the ''thing'' for forgiveness. His voice did a complete turn.

"Ka-Kazuma? You're Kazuma, right? Forgive me——it was my fault, I-I regret it, so please, forgive meeee——"

The only reply was a flash from the wind-blade. It severed his right arm at the base. Formed from a high density of spirits, the blade cut through meat and bone as if it were tofu.

''"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"''

While screaming, Shinji threw himself fully into starting Enjutsu. The intense concentration from being so close to death brought forth the greatest power of his 25 years of life.

The ''thing'' became covered in a golden flame, the same one that had the power to destroy any and all demons, the highest level of purification. The flame burned brightly through the darkness.

"Y-yeah! I think I——"

Suddenly, ''that thing'', now a huge torch, began to move. Shinji's face, full of hope, froze.

The ''thing'' stretched out a hand, taking hold of the golden flame, ''and in one movement, tore it from its body.'' 

The ''thing'' emerged from the flame's restraints completely uninjured. Its body, and even its clothes, remained undamaged without any sign of having been engulfed by fire.

The ''thing'' slowly turned to Shinji and began walking. Underneath the freezing moonlight, without a sound, it came closer, an ominous shadow.

This was, in some ways, twisted. There was something there that the eye could not help but be fascinated by. A scene filled with beauty that one had to admit was from the spirit world.

"Hee, heehee, heeheeeeheeheehee-, kyahahahaha, ahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Shinji began laughing in a strange voice.

Evidently, his mental equilibrium had snapped from an overload of fear. Even as the wind-blade soundlessly sliced through his body, splitting it in half, he tumbled over laughing without even showing a reaction.

Perhaps the ''thing'' got tired of Shinji's lack of response. It casually sliced off his head as if throwing away an unwanted toy.

There was a dull ''thunk.'' The third head rolled on the ground.

The ''thing'' remained dissatisfied even after killing everyone. It continued to slice up the bodies. Though it was only for a few minutes, the three bodies were cut into many small pieces that even the parents of the corpses would no longer recognize; they wouldn't even be able to tell what kind of flesh it was or what limb it was.

As the raw stink of blood and meat drifted through the kekkai, the ''thing'' laughed cruelly and vanished as if melting into the air.

Afterwards, three severed heads remained. Though the bodies were in pieces, there was not one injury on those heads.

Somehow, the three heads had ended up facing the gate in a straight line. Each had a strange smile, as if to say to anyone coming through that gate, "Welcome to a nightmare."

And so the tragedy began...

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| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
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Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter1

2013-09-19T02:01:18Z

GoldenFyre: /* 1 */

== Chapter One - The Disinherited Son Returns ==

=== Part 1 ===

"What bad taste……"

That was the first impression he had of this client. Incidentally, this impression did not change in the slightest all the way to the end. A mansion sat arrogantly on the hill, set in a high-class residential area, displaying its design that completely disregarded the harmony of its surroundings. If one were to disregard the mansion thus far, one might have to say it was a rather magnificent view. Climbing up Governor's Hill presented a vast view of the land's rich scenery. When he saw it, he was honestly and completely stunned.

''(Did Turkish harems have this feeling?)''

Yagami Kazuma didn't seem to be joking when he thought that. "Don't paint the walls of a Japanese house in such wild colors!" he wanted to preach, while grabbing that person's collar. It was that kind of house.This area could probably be considered the origin of Japan's Westernization movement. The first gaslight was lit here and the very first ice cream in Japan was sold here. One would expect it to be a stylish, refined town with a distinguished history.

''(Considering that, this is probably something like a breach of contract…)'' 

He saw a decorated [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Golden Carp|golden carp]] on the roof and let out a sigh. The image that was held dear in Yokohama, had crumbled away completely, with a clattering sound.

When he accepted the job at the agency, he was given not only an address, but also a detailed map that was completely unnecessary. By asking the neighborhood residents, "what's the house with the poorest taste around here?" even a monkey could manage to find his way here.

- A structure painful to the eyes —— he didn't want to call it a house —— that when seen, made Kazuma look up to the sky, begging. The sky was empty and blue.

"Hey, at least it's work…" he muttered, trying to convince himself.

However, this was the same Kazuma whose looks probably wouldn't by any means be called appropriate for work. Wearing a checkered shirt covered by a black jacket with jeans and sneakers, this 22-year-old man seemed, no matter how one looked at him, no different than a student from a nearby university. He was completely blind to his own faults though. As he continued his observations, he noticed something strange. The dark aura that covered the mansion was thicker than he was told; because of this, perhaps even an ordinary person with no psychic background could sense the aura that was presently surrounding the mansion.

''(Maybe I should just go back…)''

Nagged by a horribly bad premonition, Kazuma's thought were halfway serious. The dark aura covering the mansion was something more unearthly than he had expected, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't deal with it. For this reason, his premonition was that of a bad omen.

Yet, something else was up.

Judging from his experiences up until then, it was a credible and important premonition. However, he couldn't throw away this job on that alone. This was his first assignment in Japan; if he broke off the arrangement with a reason like that, there was no doubt that he would never get any jobs from the agency in the future. He made his way toward the mansion with heavy steps and stopped in front of a ridiculously huge gate. As he stood in front of the doorbell, Kazuma was still unsure if he should continue this job. Danger signals bombarded his instincts and he couldn't help wanting to run away. However...

"Yagami-sama, I presume."

Without any warning, a female voice came from the intercom and completely disrupted Kazuma's thinking. He jumped back with a start and stood on guard as the voice continued.

"You've been expected. Kindly enter through the door on the side."

Click. As she spoke, a small door towards the right side of the gate unlocked. Apparently, there was no one to escort him inside.

''(Compared with that "you've been expected," that's some rude treatment…)''

He felt uncomfortable, but he was dealing with a customer. He entered through the side door as instructed. Inside the fence was a large number of security cameras and sensors.

"They must live a very shadowy life..." Kazuma muttered.

Multiple cameras followed him as he walked into the entryway. Irritation rose in him, almost to the point of wanting to kill whoever put him under this rude surveillance. Somehow though, Kazuma managed to repress himself.

"Eeek……"

That was what he'd intended, but apparently it showed on his face. The maid who came to greet him became fearful of him as if she had just come across a man-eating bear. Kazuma hurriedly smoothed over his expression.

"Welcome! Please, come this way."

Somehow she changed her face of terror, as if she were being picked up and eaten, to an overly bright smile. It didn't seem possible for someone to change their expression so dramatically, forgetting their suspicions instantly, yet the maid smiled as if nothing had happened. As the maid walked ahead to lead him to the living room, Kazuma observed her gratifyingly swaying bottom.

''(It would have been better if I'd left…)''

Kazuma felt deep regret at his choice as soon as he arrived at the living room and saw what was inside. A thin, little man laid back with his legs outstretched, introduced himself as Sakamoto Nanigashi, the master of the mansion. Kazuma recognized him as the client, but he wasn't alone. There was also a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Practitioner|practitioner]] in the room whose face he knew all to well. That practitioner, upon seeing Kazuma, showed fear on his face for a moment but immediately twisted his lips into a sneer and glared at Kazuma with a face full of scorn.

"What? The other practitioner was you Kazuma? You became a disinherited child of the Kannagi because of your incompetence and now you dare to call yourself a practitioner?"

Those explanatory words were probably for Sakamoto to hear. Practitioner——Kannagi. The youngest child of the branch family, Yuuki Shinji, truly took great pleasure in mocking Kazuma. Sakamoto showed the response that Shinji expected. His expression changed as he approached Kazuma.

"Is this true? Isn't this different from what you said? You said you were a top-class spiritual practitioner, which was why I hired you!"

Kazuma, calmly making a step back with each step his client made forward, answered...

"I don't know what the person at the agency told you but if you're dissatisfied, perhaps I should leave?"

"Hmmph, that's right."

Sakamoto's eyes showed a faintly cunning light. Kazuma's desire to work, which was scarce even at the best of times, quickly neared zero.

"Mmmm, how about this? Why don't you both try the exorcism and only the successful one gets paid? Ahh, naturally, I won't tell the loser to return the advance payment."

"Good idea, yeah."

They were flippant words, but Shinji had immediately accepted them. Then, with the face of someone who was completely made a fool of, he asked Kazuma.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm out."

Kazuma gave an immediate reply. In the scornful stares of the two, not even a muscle of their eyebrow moved.

"Hmmph, coward! Sucking your finger like a baby! I'll show you a model example of an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Enjutsu|Enjutsu]]."

"Model example eh? Tough talk for the youngest child of the branch family."

"Y-you!"

Shinji was enraged from being insulted by the person who he looked down upon. Completely forgetting about being in front of a client, he tightened a fist and lunged forward. He sent a powerful punch directed at Kazuma's face, yet Kazuma easily dodged the punch by stepping aside to his left. Shinji, who had inserted a great deal of force into his punch, lost his balance and fell. At the last moment, he managed to make it look like a feint by attempting to kick Kazuma's temple from his blind spot.

However, Kazuma, as if he had seen it coming, casually bent his head back. The heel of Shinji's left leg passed by a few millimeters in front of his eyes. Kazuma moved like the leaves of a tree swaying in the wind, without hesitation. After dodging Shinji's kick, he immediately swept Shinji's pivoting leg, making him trip and fall down on all fours to the floor. 

"Sh-shit!"

Shinji barely managed to perform an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Ukemi|ukemi]] and quickly got back up. Incorrigible, he assumed a fighting posture.

"You! Do you think that you can beat me in [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Taijutsu|Taijutsu]]? You were not even a match for the me from four years ago. There's no way you can be an opponent for me right now." 

"Sh-shut up!"

Kazuma did not show the least bit of triumph. He chided disinterestedly, as if facing a defiant child. Being looked down upon from such a securely elevated position, Shinji's reason made a sound and broke.

"Stop it right there you two."

A restraining voice broke in, turning the two heads towards the speaker. Sakamoto showed great satisfaction at successfully getting both their attention. In a tone as if he was scolding a child, he shouted...

"I didn't call you here to fight! The furnishings in this room, no matter which one you look at, are all more expensive than what I'm paying you! Any kind of rough behavior would be troublesome, okay?"

Suddenly, around the vicinity of money talk, there was a scumbag. The person in question was probably attempting to flaunt his assets, but for the ones made to listen, it was nothing but the stink of the ''nouveau riche'' pushed up their noses.

''(Maybe I'll leave… since I still get the advance payment...)''

With the discomfort continuing to rise with no end in sight, Kazuma's desire to work had already disappeared. He couldn't ignore the agony of simply being in the place.

"Mm……?"

Instantly, without warning, an unearthly presence began to converge...

"It's coming..."

The unearthly presence spread throughout the mansion and directed its focus to one point in the living room. Kazuma casually moved back so that Sakamoto and Shinji were between himself and this presence.

"What's that? What just…?"

The unearthly presence solidified into a smoky black figure. Shinji, seconds slower than Kazuma, finally noticed it too.

"Hmmm, so it came out?"

"Wh-what? What's wrong?"

Hesitatingly breaking the suddenly tense atmosphere, Sakamoto shouted in a shrill voice.

Kazuma answered in place of Shinji, who was already beginning to focus his mind for the use of a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Jutsu|jutsu]].

"It's time to work. The 'evil spirit', or whatever you've been struggling with just came out."

While giving this offhand explanation, Kazuma felt a beyond-ordinary sense of unease.

''(That's no evil spirit. What kind of thing is it?)''

When Kazuma first accepted this assignment, the person at the agency said "It is just a normal evil-spirit exorcism."

—— Hey, your first job should be one of these, right? If you're as good as the rumors say, you should be able to take that evil spirit with one hand or another ——

A superficial seeming man, but with definite achievements. Their kind of work was, in some sense, even more than practitioners', it was a work where confidence was life. Making a mistake this big was extremely unlikely. It wasn't an easy business, so such an irresponsible agent would not survive.

''(Was I set up? Well, fine. Should I just observe his skill?)''

Kazuma leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked about as if sightseeing. Shinji focused his mind to prepare himself for the appearance of the "evil spirit." He was apparently planning to burn it the moment it appeared. It was easy to see from his expression. Suddenly, the space in front of Shinji turned dark and thick. Shinji faced both his palms towards each other in order to set up a transparent ball in front of his chest. A small fire ignited between those palms.

''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooon……''

A voice full of resentment shook the air as the evil spirit revealed itself. A distorted face stood before them, projecting hatred across the room.


"Eeep!"

"HAAAA!!"

Paying no attention to the screaming Sakamoto, Shinji released a devastating flame alongside a sharp yell. The evil spirit would be cleansed on contact with the summoned fire and would disappear without a trace... or so Shinji believed. However...

"Idiot."
''
Gioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo……''

While the evil spirit's cries of agony echoed and Shinji snickered...the flame exploded.

"Gahhhhhhhhhh!?"

Shinji screamed as he was wrapped in the flames that he had summoned. In a moment, the entire living room was engulfed in flames.

''Kakakakakakakakakakakakakakakaka''

The entity before them had overcome Shinji's attack and had devoured the flame. The [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Youma|youma]] began to sneer with laughter.

=== 2 ===

Even among the ''Enjutsu'' users who could freely manipulate fire, the Kannagi family was famous for their superior strength. It was not simply because their power was great. The reason laid in the special ability passed on in their family's blood. The flame they manipulated was not created by the physical phenomenon of simply accelerating molecular motion. It possessed the power to burn away impurities and destroy evil.

Because of this "purifying flame" the Kannagi family practitioners held absolute dominance over ''youma'', evil spirits, and all beings who transgressed the law. However, even with the ability given by blood, depending on the extent to which their blood was diluted with each generation, it was inevitable that their power would eventually deteriorate.

The branch family practitioners had long lost the highest rank of the "gold" flame attribute. If a youma with a fire attribute was their opponent, the flame that they released would merely be absorbed by the youma instead of purifying and destroying it.

...Which was what had happened just now——

The living room had become a purgatory. The high-class furniture and the shag carpet were already carbonizing. The glass from the chandelier on the ceiling had melted and turned into a grotesque art object. This wouldn't have happened if someone from the head family branch had purified the youma. 

"I wonder if he's dead..." Kazuma muttered with a refreshed face.

A cool breeze wrapped around Kazuma, preventing the raging fire from touching him. Even the heat that the flame emitted was sealed off; not a drop of sweat was on Kazuma's face. 

"H-help……"

A frail voice rang in his eardrums. Kazuma looked down at the blackened object at his feet.

His client Sakamoto had rolled into the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Kekkai|kekkai]], screaming. He didn't seem to be dead though he was burned here and there.

"Aaaaaa! He-help me!"

Sakamoto screamed as he clung onto Kazuma's legs. However, Kazuma heartlessly kicked away his client.

''Thud!''

Sakamoto's face writhed in pain as he was mercilessly trampled upon. Since Kazuma didn't want to touch anything beyond his slippers, he brought down his heel instead of stepping on him. The skull could have been making a creaking sound, but that wasn't a big problem.

Kazuma stepped on Sakamoto's head and stated clearly: "you're not my client and I don't have a habit of saving middle-aged men."

"If it's money, I'll pay. Twice as much, or so…"

"Twice? Is your life worth only a million?"

Kazuma took a cigarette from his pocket. He gently stretched out his hand, exposing the cigarette's tip outside of the kekkai and began to smoke.

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 019.jpg|thumb]]

Sakamoto didn't have the luxury to be so relaxed though. Whether by chance or on purpose, there were holes in the area of the kekkai near Sakamoto. Some of the flames passed through the holes and touched him.

"Hot-! Ee-eeee! Help! Fine!! I'll pay 10 million!"

"Thanks for your business."

Upon tossing away his cigarette, Kazuma's face let out a smile similar to that of a demon who had made a profitable deal.

"All right now. Then, won't you please stand back?"

Kazuma kicked Sakamoto in the rear, sending him rolling into the side of the room and proclaimed, "you're in the way."

He began muttering in a low voice and waved his right hand sideways in a mowing motion. As if being squeezed out by his hand, the raging fire was instantly expelled through the window.

The fire didn't spread to the grass and trees in the garden. Instead, it scattered and then vanished.

At that moment, a fireball with a distorted face floated in the center of the room. Now the youma's true form was in front of Kazuma.

''Hyuuoou-''

In place of the extinguished fire, wind raged across the room. Kazuma stood quietly and with his hand still in his jacket pocket, directed the wind to erase the flames still remaining in the room.

The fight was already over. The youma was unable to even put up any resistance against Kazuma's overwhelming power as it was torn to pieces. All that was left to do was wait for its annihilation.

"And with this…"

Kazuma slowly raised his right hand. A person gifted with the sixth sense would have been terrified upon seeing the amount of wind power that was gathering in his hand.

"…The end!"

The hand swung down ten times faster than it came up. From his right hand, an invisible blade that sliced through air came forth, slicing the youma neatly in two.

There were no spirit fragments remaining. Kazuma quietly observed the destroyed youma with a calm look.

"Finished," Kazuma told Sakamoto. Sakamoto was still lying on the floor, dumbfounded.

"Pay the money in three days. Otherwise, would you like to regret having ever been born?"

It was identical to what a criminal would say. Even if it was a mistake, it wasn't the way one would speak to a customer.

However, Sakamoto, realizing the horror of going against Kazuma, didn't even dare to complain.

"Y-yes. Understood. But something terrible has happened to Yuuki-kun. I never thought something so serious would happen."

Without a word Kazuma approached what appeared to be the ashes of Shinji's remains and trampled on them to Sakamoto's despair. As expected, Sakamoto protested... 

"Wh-what are you doing!? I don't know whatever happened between you two but please give respect to the dead!"

"He's not dead..." Kazuma dryly spat the words out and then continued to kick Shinji again and again.

Upon doing so, the ash covering the surface fell off; Sakamoto noticed that Shinji appeared to be undamaged by the flame that had covered him a while ago.

"Wh-wha……?"

Sakamoto doubted his eyes as he beheld the unbelievable scene. Kazuma gave an offhand explanation.

"All of the Kannagi bloodline receive the divine protection of the fire spirits. Even people from a branch family wouldn't die in this degree of fire." 

Kazuma curled his lips in self-derision and added, "though I'm the exception."

"Uu……Guu……"

Shinji murmured, waking up. After looking around him, he confirmed that the youma was destroyed.

"You did this?"

"It's just like you saw."

''Who do you think you are, saying whatever you please?''——Kazuma was already aware that Shinji was conscious the whole time. Shinji hurriedly attempted an explanation.

"So you noticed……? But I couldn't help. I honestly couldn't move."

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

Kazuma coldly stated this over his shoulder, as he turned his back. Shinji called out to the unhesitating figure leaving. There was still something he wanted to ask.

"Why did you return?"

"On a whim, I guess."

At Kazuma's lazy answer, Shinji sharpened his gaze thinking that his question had been evaded.

"'A whim...' Do you believe the elders will accept that?"

"I was only disinherited, I wasn't exiled. Where I go is my business."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing in particular," Kazuma answered curtly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you returning to the Kannagi?"

"Not even if I die."

Kazuma answered as if spitting out the words. Then, this time, without hesitation, he walked off.

Shinji was driven by a sense of unease that he couldn't suppress. He continued to stare at Kazuma.

''(I have to tell this to the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Soushu|soushu]] as soon as possible…)''

In a sense, Shinji's unease was on the mark. From that moment, a war to push the Kannagi into the abyss of ruin began.

===3===

"Did you know? It seems that Kazuma has returned to Japan. What's more, he's become a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"What! That incompetent guy? It must be dead simple, then, to be a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"Nope, 'I'm a dark magician' is what I heard. For him to become a practitioner, he'd have to sell his soul to the devil, right?"

"Ah, that's probably true."

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"

That day, rumors about Kazuma were the talk of the Kannagi main house. Of the elders (the general term for those who retired from active service and are now overseeing the management of the practitioners) who heard Shinji's report, only one refrained from jokingly spreading around nonsense.

Shinji was currently under probation for the offense of the aforesaid failure of his duty. Tail fin, dorsal fin, belly fins; all were wildly added to the rumor, until it grew to maturity. Not one person tried to stop it.

The source of the rumors, the elders, appeared to be in complete delight. The people known as ''elders''—excluding the extremely serious exceptions—were basically men of leisure. "Looking important is work," and so on, was the gossip some attacked with.

When there was no work, they would drink tea all day and amuse themselves by talking about various topics. Obviously, they could not resist something interesting to talk about.

They danced with joy inside upon hearing Shinji's news. The elders, when they passed the verdict of probation on the dejected Shinji, even had something of a skipping type of light gait while they drank tea and turned back to each other. They haphazardly began talking like this:

"Ohh, did you know…?"

The elders, during this work time, were like different people in energetic activity.

Within an hour, there was almost nobody in the huge mansion who had not heard of Kazuma's return to the country. It certainly reached the servants, spreading to all kinds of people afterwards.

It was, in short, a situation where almost nobody knew the true facts. It wasn't a big problem for the elders, though, since their attitude was pretty much, ''If it's interesting, who cares what happens later!''

And so, news of Kazuma spread in the exact opposite direction which Shinji had hoped for.

To wit:

"Kazuma's returned as a dark magician."

"Kazuma was secretly murdered; he's buried in the back garden."

"Kazuma clashed with Shinji during work and suddenly killed him."

"Kazuma made a contract with the wind spirits. An evil demon."

The truth was subtly mixed in, but it was distorted so much that nobody could really interpret it. Obviously, no one feared Kazuma's retribution.

Kazuma, the main family's failure who had left all his talent in his mother's womb, like liquid skimmed off the top, had found a preferable power to take in, it seemed. Nobody laughed at that.

However, there were a small number of exceptions. One of them was the current suzerain, Kannagi Juugo. During supper, in the humorous talk that was being told, there was one item Juugo was interested in.

"Ohhhh? Kazuma chose Fuujutsu? Did you know that, Genma?"

Juugo spoke to his cousin sitting next to him. For some reason, as if harboring some ill will, Genma's smile was filled with hatred.

"…Oh"

Genma answered briefly. Apparently the rumor had already reached his ears, as he didn't appear disturbed.

However, it was clear he wasn't happy about the rumor either. The saying, ''like someone chewing up a bitter bug,'' perfectly described his frown as he gripped a tight fist.

''If Kazuma was in front of me, I'd want to strangle him to death.'' His expression openly displayed his thoughts.

"It's shameful."

"It's not especially shameful." Juugo answered lightly. He gave a command to a nearby servant: "I would like to hear a detailed account. Call Shinji."

"Certainly."

The moment he arrived, Shinji bowed down so low that he scraped the tatami in his prostration. His tension was great; he was sweating from his forehead and breathing awkwardly.

Truthfully, the difference in status between Kannagi's main family and branch family was absolute. It was impossible for the branch family to even dream of a revolution.

Tradition and social status meant nothing in Kannagi's system. The two families were simply separated by the overwhelming difference in power.

If a rebellion were to occur, Enjutsu practitioners like Juugo or Genma could simply smash everyone in the branch family by wiggling a finger. Because of this hopeless difference in power, no thoughts of rebellion were harbored.

Therefore, Shinji's tension was understandable. He was in front of Juugo, whose superiority was similar to a god, and had to recount his clumsy failure. This was definitely worse than his original feelings.

"Raise your face. You don't have to humble yourself like that."

Juugo spoke in a friendly manner. However, looking into the suzerain's face and speaking was far too overwhelming for Shinji. In the end, he raised his face, but his eyes still stared at the tatami as he submitted his report.

"A-and, I now have the privilege of being allowed to give this report."

"…I see."

After Shinji finished recounting everything, Juugo remained silent for a while after saying that.

"…I see."

As if to confirm, he repeated it once more. He closed his eyes lightly, and reminisced back to when his nephew (to be accurate, the relation was more separated than that, but he used the label since it was too much trouble) had left 4 years ago.

''(—What a poor child he was.)''

If Kazuma had been born to any but the Kannagi family, he would probably have been considered a superior child. Excellent intellect, good reflexes, and great promise in learning the jutsu; all jutsu except one. He was unable to manipulate fire.

However, for the Kannagi family, this was the most important ability.

No matter what else he was proficient at, someone with no talent for manipulating fire was treated as incompetent. Because of this, Kazuma was no longer part of the Kannagi.

''Still—'' Juugo thought.

''(Why didn't you ask me for help, Kazuma? There was no need to disown you from the family. If it was me, I would have made a place for you. Whatever Genma said, I wouldn't have cared about the Enjutsu, I would have made use of your talent, yet despite that…)''

Juugo looked down at his right leg. It was made of metal and plastic. If that accident hadn't happened, and the "rule of inheritance" hadn't been rushed, would Kazuma be here right now?

Unfortunately, it was far too late. Kazuma had thrown away the family, their name; all that was Kannagi, and had left Japan. This was reality. The ''past'' is a thing that could never be changed.

"…Suzerain?"

An uncertain voice brought Juugo back to reality. Looking around, he found everyone in an awkward silence. It wasn't surprising, as there were almost none among them who had not tormented Kazuma.

However, the one who had driven Kazuma out was calm. That person, Genma, spoke without a single change in his expression.

"Suzerain. Kazuma is already someone without any connection to the Kannagi. There is no need to worry about him."

"Genma, you would say that of your own son—"

"I have only one son, Ren."

Genma spoke coolly, interrupting the suzerain's words. Juugo considered replying, but, disliking unproductive battles, he decided to put other, safer words into his mouth.

"It's fine then. After all, Kazuma has become successful in Fuujutsu. Maybe it was best that he left the Kannagi... Or maybe, Hyoue, if he had been entrusted to your care, could he have become skilled and powerful?" 

"Perhaps." Sitting at a lower seat, Hyoue, the head of the Fuuga clan, answered sullenly. 

Genma again cut in with an objection.

"We are all afraid even though Fuujutsu and such are, after all, lower arts? The most they are capable of is acting as assistants to Enjutsu practitioners. Even if we had known 4 years ago of Kazuma's talent for Fuujutsu and left him to people like the Fuuga clan, clearly, we would still have had to disinherit him."

Hearing his art publicly insulted, Hyoue twisted his face in humiliation. However, nobody paid any attention to Hyoue nor his face.

To the Kannagi family, who only valued fighting power, the Fuuga clan, having been given the reconnaissance and battle support duties, was limited to a lower status. Genma was not trying to start a fight. He was not saying anything beyond the normal beliefs of the other Kannagi.

"…We will go no further with this talk. Dinner will become unpleasant."

At Juugo's words, everyone clearly showed relieved expressions on their faces. As if on cue, cheerful talk began, and they rolled around laughing at silly jokes.

Though awkwardly, the usual dining hall atmosphere returned.

And so, nobody noticed the dark light harbored in Hyoue's eyes. He suppressed his thoughts from showing up on his expression, and murmured in a voice so small it did not even reach his own ears.

"I will not forget this disgrace, Genma…"

=== 4 ===

"Kannagi……no, Yagami Kazuma……? You came back at a very good time!"

"Huo-huo-huo……" A hoarse laugh broke the strained silence. Not a single streak of light could be found in the single room filled with darkness.

"And……?"

"Yes, it's better if everyone hears this. Finally, the time has come. The time when we shall dispel the disgrace that has lasted 300 years. Now is the time for us to regain the power we lost, and return to our previous, glorious position."

"Ohhhhhhhhh…………"

A stifled commotion filled the air. No one shouted. Afraid of being discovered, they kept their breaths in check, keeping their tension locked inside the room.

"Oh, when you finally realize it, you Kannagi... We will overthrow you and leave not a single one remaining… Kukuku…"

A low and gloomy voice echoed with resentment darker than darkness...

''"U-uwaaaaaaaaaaaa! Wha-what, what are you doing-?!"''

Late at night on that same day, Shinji screamed out in terror. Nearby were two freshly severed heads, which tumbled down onto the floor. Following them were two headless corpses. And standing before him, a human?

Shinji was unable to say for certain. There was nothing different from a human by outward appearance, but it possessed an aura that a human could not possibly have.

The two corpses——who had been alive until 30 seconds ago——had been captured in a ''kekkai'' without any chance to prepare themselves and were immediately decapitated.

The mysterious person had not moved a single finger. And yet Shinji had clearly witnessed an incredible force slicing the two heads off as if they were nothing. Or rather, Shinji had been forced to witness.

Even though the other two surpassed him in skill, Shinji was the only person left alive. It wasn't because of luck. Shinji realized this more than anyone else.

He was being toyed with. This demon in human shape was feeding on Shinji's fear and hopelessness. It held off killing him for the moment, playing with him lazily, enjoying his empty resistance.

"What the hell?! What did I do…?"

The ''thing'' gave no answer. It came closer without even making footsteps, taking its time.

The ''thing'' remained completely silent. Nothing came out as it drew closer, wielding an invisible sword.

Silence even after severing those heads. The two blood-covered heads rolling on the ground seemed not to have noticed their own deaths, still having drunken, relaxed slack smiles.

Shinji knew of only one person who could do what this ''thing'' had just done. He had just met that person yesterday. In addition, that person had a motive to kill them.

Shinji became frantic, begging the ''thing'' for forgiveness. His voice did a complete turn.

"Ka-Kazuma? You're Kazuma, right? Forgive me——it was my fault, I-I regret it, so please, forgive meeee——"

The only reply was a flash from the wind-blade. It severed his right arm at the base. Formed from a high density of spirits, the blade cut through meat and bone as if it were tofu.

''"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"''

While screaming, Shinji threw himself fully into starting Enjutsu. The intense concentration from being so close to death brought forth the greatest power of his 25 years of life.

The ''thing'' became covered in a golden flame, the same one that had the power to destroy any and all demons, the highest level of purification. The flame burned brightly through the darkness.

"Y-yeah! I think I——"

Suddenly, ''that thing'', now a huge torch, began to move. Shinji's face, full of hope, froze.

The ''thing'' stretched out a hand, taking hold of the golden flame, ''and in one movement, tore it from its body.'' 

The ''thing'' emerged from the flame's restraints completely uninjured. Its body, and even its clothes, remained undamaged without any sign of having been engulfed by fire.

The ''thing'' slowly turned to Shinji and began walking. Underneath the freezing moonlight, without a sound, it came closer, an ominous shadow.

This was, in some ways, twisted. There was something there that the eye could not help but be fascinated by. A scene filled with beauty that one had to admit was from the spirit world.

"Hee, heehee, heeheeeeheeheehee-, kyahahahaha, ahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Shinji began laughing in a strange voice.

Evidently, his mental equilibrium had snapped from an overload of fear. Even as the wind-blade soundlessly sliced through his body, splitting it in half, he tumbled over laughing without even showing a reaction.

Perhaps the ''thing'' got tired of Shinji's lack of response. It casually sliced off his head as if throwing away an unwanted toy.

There was a dull ''thunk.'' The third head rolled on the ground.

The ''thing'' remained dissatisfied even after killing everyone. It continued to slice up the bodies. Though it was only for a few minutes, the three bodies were cut into many small pieces that even the parents of the corpses would no longer recognize; they wouldn't even be able to tell what kind of flesh it was or what limb it was.

As the raw stink of blood and meat drifted through the kekkai, the ''thing'' laughed cruelly and vanished as if melting into the air.

Afterwards, three severed heads remained. Though the bodies were in pieces, there was not one injury on those heads.

Somehow, the three heads had ended up facing the gate in a straight line. Each had a strange smile, as if to say to anyone coming through that gate, "Welcome to a nightmare."

And so the tragedy began...

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| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
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Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter1

2013-09-19T01:59:52Z

GoldenFyre: /* 2 */

== Chapter One - The Disinherited Son Returns ==

=== 1 ===

"What bad taste……"

That was the first impression he had of this client. Incidentally, this impression did not change in the slightest all the way to the end. A mansion sat arrogantly on the hill, set in a high-class residential area, displaying its design that completely disregarded the harmony of its surroundings. If one were to disregard the mansion thus far, one might have to say it was a rather magnificent view. Climbing up Governor's Hill presented a vast view of the land's rich scenery. When he saw it, he was honestly and completely stunned.

''(Did Turkish harems have this feeling?)''

Yagami Kazuma didn't seem to be joking when he thought that. "Don't paint the walls of a Japanese house in such wild colors!" he wanted to preach, while grabbing that person's collar. It was that kind of house.This area could probably be considered the origin of Japan's Westernization movement. The first gaslight was lit here and the very first ice cream in Japan was sold here. One would expect it to be a stylish, refined town with a distinguished history.

''(Considering that, this is probably something like a breach of contract…)'' 

He saw a decorated [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Golden Carp|golden carp]] on the roof and let out a sigh. The image that was held dear in Yokohama, had crumbled away completely, with a clattering sound.

When he accepted the job at the agency, he was given not only an address, but also a detailed map that was completely unnecessary. By asking the neighborhood residents, "what's the house with the poorest taste around here?" even a monkey could manage to find his way here.

- A structure painful to the eyes —— he didn't want to call it a house —— that when seen, made Kazuma look up to the sky, begging. The sky was empty and blue.

"Hey, at least it's work…" he muttered, trying to convince himself.

However, this was the same Kazuma whose looks probably wouldn't by any means be called appropriate for work. Wearing a checkered shirt covered by a black jacket with jeans and sneakers, this 22-year-old man seemed, no matter how one looked at him, no different than a student from a nearby university. He was completely blind to his own faults though. As he continued his observations, he noticed something strange. The dark aura that covered the mansion was thicker than he was told; because of this, perhaps even an ordinary person with no psychic background could sense the aura that was presently surrounding the mansion.

''(Maybe I should just go back…)''

Nagged by a horribly bad premonition, Kazuma's thought were halfway serious. The dark aura covering the mansion was something more unearthly than he had expected, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't deal with it. For this reason, his premonition was that of a bad omen.

Yet, something else was up.

Judging from his experiences up until then, it was a credible and important premonition. However, he couldn't throw away this job on that alone. This was his first assignment in Japan; if he broke off the arrangement with a reason like that, there was no doubt that he would never get any jobs from the agency in the future. He made his way toward the mansion with heavy steps and stopped in front of a ridiculously huge gate. As he stood in front of the doorbell, Kazuma was still unsure if he should continue this job. Danger signals bombarded his instincts and he couldn't help wanting to run away. However...

"Yagami-sama, I presume."

Without any warning, a female voice came from the intercom and completely disrupted Kazuma's thinking. He jumped back with a start and stood on guard as the voice continued.

"You've been expected. Kindly enter through the door on the side."

Click. As she spoke, a small door towards the right side of the gate unlocked. Apparently, there was no one to escort him inside.

''(Compared with that "you've been expected," that's some rude treatment…)''

He felt uncomfortable, but he was dealing with a customer. He entered through the side door as instructed. Inside the fence was a large number of security cameras and sensors.

"They must live a very shadowy life..." Kazuma muttered.

Multiple cameras followed him as he walked into the entryway. Irritation rose in him, almost to the point of wanting to kill whoever put him under this rude surveillance. Somehow though, Kazuma managed to repress himself.

"Eeek……"

That was what he'd intended, but apparently it showed on his face. The maid who came to greet him became fearful of him as if she had just come across a man-eating bear. Kazuma hurriedly smoothed over his expression.

"Welcome! Please, come this way."

Somehow she changed her face of terror, as if she were being picked up and eaten, to an overly bright smile. It didn't seem possible for someone to change their expression so dramatically, forgetting their suspicions instantly, yet the maid smiled as if nothing had happened. As the maid walked ahead to lead him to the living room, Kazuma observed her gratifyingly swaying bottom.

''(It would have been better if I'd left…)''

Kazuma felt deep regret at his choice as soon as he arrived at the living room and saw what was inside. A thin, little man laid back with his legs outstretched, introduced himself as Sakamoto Nanigashi, the master of the mansion. Kazuma recognized him as the client, but he wasn't alone. There was also a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Practitioner|practitioner]] in the room whose face he knew all to well. That practitioner, upon seeing Kazuma, showed fear on his face for a moment but immediately twisted his lips into a sneer and glared at Kazuma with a face full of scorn.

"What? The other practitioner was you Kazuma? You became a disinherited child of the Kannagi because of your incompetence and now you dare to call yourself a practitioner?"

Those explanatory words were probably for Sakamoto to hear. Practitioner——Kannagi. The youngest child of the branch family, Yuuki Shinji, truly took great pleasure in mocking Kazuma. Sakamoto showed the response that Shinji expected. His expression changed as he approached Kazuma.

"Is this true? Isn't this different from what you said? You said you were a top-class spiritual practitioner, which was why I hired you!"

Kazuma, calmly making a step back with each step his client made forward, answered...

"I don't know what the person at the agency told you but if you're dissatisfied, perhaps I should leave?"

"Hmmph, that's right."

Sakamoto's eyes showed a faintly cunning light. Kazuma's desire to work, which was scarce even at the best of times, quickly neared zero.

"Mmmm, how about this? Why don't you both try the exorcism and only the successful one gets paid? Ahh, naturally, I won't tell the loser to return the advance payment."

"Good idea, yeah."

They were flippant words, but Shinji had immediately accepted them. Then, with the face of someone who was completely made a fool of, he asked Kazuma.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm out."

Kazuma gave an immediate reply. In the scornful stares of the two, not even a muscle of their eyebrow moved.

"Hmmph, coward! Sucking your finger like a baby! I'll show you a model example of an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Enjutsu|Enjutsu]]."

"Model example eh? Tough talk for the youngest child of the branch family."

"Y-you!"

Shinji was enraged from being insulted by the person who he looked down upon. Completely forgetting about being in front of a client, he tightened a fist and lunged forward. He sent a powerful punch directed at Kazuma's face, yet Kazuma easily dodged the punch by stepping aside to his left. Shinji, who had inserted a great deal of force into his punch, lost his balance and fell. At the last moment, he managed to make it look like a feint by attempting to kick Kazuma's temple from his blind spot.

However, Kazuma, as if he had seen it coming, casually bent his head back. The heel of Shinji's left leg passed by a few millimeters in front of his eyes. Kazuma moved like the leaves of a tree swaying in the wind, without hesitation. After dodging Shinji's kick, he immediately swept Shinji's pivoting leg, making him trip and fall down on all fours to the floor. 

"Sh-shit!"

Shinji barely managed to perform an [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Ukemi|ukemi]] and quickly got back up. Incorrigible, he assumed a fighting posture.

"You! Do you think that you can beat me in [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Taijutsu|Taijutsu]]? You were not even a match for the me from four years ago. There's no way you can be an opponent for me right now." 

"Sh-shut up!"

Kazuma did not show the least bit of triumph. He chided disinterestedly, as if facing a defiant child. Being looked down upon from such a securely elevated position, Shinji's reason made a sound and broke.

"Stop it right there you two."

A restraining voice broke in, turning the two heads towards the speaker. Sakamoto showed great satisfaction at successfully getting both their attention. In a tone as if he was scolding a child, he shouted...

"I didn't call you here to fight! The furnishings in this room, no matter which one you look at, are all more expensive than what I'm paying you! Any kind of rough behavior would be troublesome, okay?"

Suddenly, around the vicinity of money talk, there was a scumbag. The person in question was probably attempting to flaunt his assets, but for the ones made to listen, it was nothing but the stink of the ''nouveau riche'' pushed up their noses.

''(Maybe I'll leave… since I still get the advance payment...)''

With the discomfort continuing to rise with no end in sight, Kazuma's desire to work had already disappeared. He couldn't ignore the agony of simply being in the place.

"Mm……?"

Instantly, without warning, an unearthly presence began to converge...

"It's coming..."

The unearthly presence spread throughout the mansion and directed its focus to one point in the living room. Kazuma casually moved back so that Sakamoto and Shinji were between himself and this presence.

"What's that? What just…?"

The unearthly presence solidified into a smoky black figure. Shinji, seconds slower than Kazuma, finally noticed it too.

"Hmmm, so it came out?"

"Wh-what? What's wrong?"

Hesitatingly breaking the suddenly tense atmosphere, Sakamoto shouted in a shrill voice.

Kazuma answered in place of Shinji, who was already beginning to focus his mind for the use of a [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Jutsu|jutsu]].

"It's time to work. The 'evil spirit', or whatever you've been struggling with just came out."

While giving this offhand explanation, Kazuma felt a beyond-ordinary sense of unease.

''(That's no evil spirit. What kind of thing is it?)''

When Kazuma first accepted this assignment, the person at the agency said "It is just a normal evil-spirit exorcism."

—— Hey, your first job should be one of these, right? If you're as good as the rumors say, you should be able to take that evil spirit with one hand or another ——

A superficial seeming man, but with definite achievements. Their kind of work was, in some sense, even more than practitioners', it was a work where confidence was life. Making a mistake this big was extremely unlikely. It wasn't an easy business, so such an irresponsible agent would not survive.

''(Was I set up? Well, fine. Should I just observe his skill?)''

Kazuma leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked about as if sightseeing. Shinji focused his mind to prepare himself for the appearance of the "evil spirit." He was apparently planning to burn it the moment it appeared. It was easy to see from his expression. Suddenly, the space in front of Shinji turned dark and thick. Shinji faced both his palms towards each other in order to set up a transparent ball in front of his chest. A small fire ignited between those palms.

''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooon……''

A voice full of resentment shook the air as the evil spirit revealed itself. A distorted face stood before them, projecting hatred across the room.


"Eeep!"

"HAAAA!!"

Paying no attention to the screaming Sakamoto, Shinji released a devastating flame alongside a sharp yell. The evil spirit would be cleansed on contact with the summoned fire and would disappear without a trace... or so Shinji believed. However...

"Idiot."
''
Gioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo……''

While the evil spirit's cries of agony echoed and Shinji snickered...the flame exploded.

"Gahhhhhhhhhh!?"

Shinji screamed as he was wrapped in the flames that he had summoned. In a moment, the entire living room was engulfed in flames.

''Kakakakakakakakakakakakakakakaka''

The entity before them had overcome Shinji's attack and had devoured the flame. The [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Youma|youma]] began to sneer with laughter.

=== 2 ===

Even among the ''Enjutsu'' users who could freely manipulate fire, the Kannagi family was famous for their superior strength. It was not simply because their power was great. The reason laid in the special ability passed on in their family's blood. The flame they manipulated was not created by the physical phenomenon of simply accelerating molecular motion. It possessed the power to burn away impurities and destroy evil.

Because of this "purifying flame" the Kannagi family practitioners held absolute dominance over ''youma'', evil spirits, and all beings who transgressed the law. However, even with the ability given by blood, depending on the extent to which their blood was diluted with each generation, it was inevitable that their power would eventually deteriorate.

The branch family practitioners had long lost the highest rank of the "gold" flame attribute. If a youma with a fire attribute was their opponent, the flame that they released would merely be absorbed by the youma instead of purifying and destroying it.

...Which was what had happened just now——

The living room had become a purgatory. The high-class furniture and the shag carpet were already carbonizing. The glass from the chandelier on the ceiling had melted and turned into a grotesque art object. This wouldn't have happened if someone from the head family branch had purified the youma. 

"I wonder if he's dead..." Kazuma muttered with a refreshed face.

A cool breeze wrapped around Kazuma, preventing the raging fire from touching him. Even the heat that the flame emitted was sealed off; not a drop of sweat was on Kazuma's face. 

"H-help……"

A frail voice rang in his eardrums. Kazuma looked down at the blackened object at his feet.

His client Sakamoto had rolled into the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Kekkai|kekkai]], screaming. He didn't seem to be dead though he was burned here and there.

"Aaaaaa! He-help me!"

Sakamoto screamed as he clung onto Kazuma's legs. However, Kazuma heartlessly kicked away his client.

''Thud!''

Sakamoto's face writhed in pain as he was mercilessly trampled upon. Since Kazuma didn't want to touch anything beyond his slippers, he brought down his heel instead of stepping on him. The skull could have been making a creaking sound, but that wasn't a big problem.

Kazuma stepped on Sakamoto's head and stated clearly: "you're not my client and I don't have a habit of saving middle-aged men."

"If it's money, I'll pay. Twice as much, or so…"

"Twice? Is your life worth only a million?"

Kazuma took a cigarette from his pocket. He gently stretched out his hand, exposing the cigarette's tip outside of the kekkai and began to smoke.

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 019.jpg|thumb]]

Sakamoto didn't have the luxury to be so relaxed though. Whether by chance or on purpose, there were holes in the area of the kekkai near Sakamoto. Some of the flames passed through the holes and touched him.

"Hot-! Ee-eeee! Help! Fine!! I'll pay 10 million!"

"Thanks for your business."

Upon tossing away his cigarette, Kazuma's face let out a smile similar to that of a demon who had made a profitable deal.

"All right now. Then, won't you please stand back?"

Kazuma kicked Sakamoto in the rear, sending him rolling into the side of the room and proclaimed, "you're in the way."

He began muttering in a low voice and waved his right hand sideways in a mowing motion. As if being squeezed out by his hand, the raging fire was instantly expelled through the window.

The fire didn't spread to the grass and trees in the garden. Instead, it scattered and then vanished.

At that moment, a fireball with a distorted face floated in the center of the room. Now the youma's true form was in front of Kazuma.

''Hyuuoou-''

In place of the extinguished fire, wind raged across the room. Kazuma stood quietly and with his hand still in his jacket pocket, directed the wind to erase the flames still remaining in the room.

The fight was already over. The youma was unable to even put up any resistance against Kazuma's overwhelming power as it was torn to pieces. All that was left to do was wait for its annihilation.

"And with this…"

Kazuma slowly raised his right hand. A person gifted with the sixth sense would have been terrified upon seeing the amount of wind power that was gathering in his hand.

"…The end!"

The hand swung down ten times faster than it came up. From his right hand, an invisible blade that sliced through air came forth, slicing the youma neatly in two.

There were no spirit fragments remaining. Kazuma quietly observed the destroyed youma with a calm look.

"Finished," Kazuma told Sakamoto. Sakamoto was still lying on the floor, dumbfounded.

"Pay the money in three days. Otherwise, would you like to regret having ever been born?"

It was identical to what a criminal would say. Even if it was a mistake, it wasn't the way one would speak to a customer.

However, Sakamoto, realizing the horror of going against Kazuma, didn't even dare to complain.

"Y-yes. Understood. But something terrible has happened to Yuuki-kun. I never thought something so serious would happen."

Without a word Kazuma approached what appeared to be the ashes of Shinji's remains and trampled on them to Sakamoto's despair. As expected, Sakamoto protested... 

"Wh-what are you doing!? I don't know whatever happened between you two but please give respect to the dead!"

"He's not dead..." Kazuma dryly spat the words out and then continued to kick Shinji again and again.

Upon doing so, the ash covering the surface fell off; Sakamoto noticed that Shinji appeared to be undamaged by the flame that had covered him a while ago.

"Wh-wha……?"

Sakamoto doubted his eyes as he beheld the unbelievable scene. Kazuma gave an offhand explanation.

"All of the Kannagi bloodline receive the divine protection of the fire spirits. Even people from a branch family wouldn't die in this degree of fire." 

Kazuma curled his lips in self-derision and added, "though I'm the exception."

"Uu……Guu……"

Shinji murmured, waking up. After looking around him, he confirmed that the youma was destroyed.

"You did this?"

"It's just like you saw."

''Who do you think you are, saying whatever you please?''——Kazuma was already aware that Shinji was conscious the whole time. Shinji hurriedly attempted an explanation.

"So you noticed……? But I couldn't help. I honestly couldn't move."

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

Kazuma coldly stated this over his shoulder, as he turned his back. Shinji called out to the unhesitating figure leaving. There was still something he wanted to ask.

"Why did you return?"

"On a whim, I guess."

At Kazuma's lazy answer, Shinji sharpened his gaze thinking that his question had been evaded.

"'A whim...' Do you believe the elders will accept that?"

"I was only disinherited, I wasn't exiled. Where I go is my business."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing in particular," Kazuma answered curtly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you returning to the Kannagi?"

"Not even if I die."

Kazuma answered as if spitting out the words. Then, this time, without hesitation, he walked off.

Shinji was driven by a sense of unease that he couldn't suppress. He continued to stare at Kazuma.

''(I have to tell this to the [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Translator%27s_Notes#Soushu|soushu]] as soon as possible…)''

In a sense, Shinji's unease was on the mark. From that moment, a war to push the Kannagi into the abyss of ruin began.

===3===

"Did you know? It seems that Kazuma has returned to Japan. What's more, he's become a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"What! That incompetent guy? It must be dead simple, then, to be a Fuujutsu practitioner."

"Nope, 'I'm a dark magician' is what I heard. For him to become a practitioner, he'd have to sell his soul to the devil, right?"

"Ah, that's probably true."

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"

That day, rumors about Kazuma were the talk of the Kannagi main house. Of the elders (the general term for those who retired from active service and are now overseeing the management of the practitioners) who heard Shinji's report, only one refrained from jokingly spreading around nonsense.

Shinji was currently under probation for the offense of the aforesaid failure of his duty. Tail fin, dorsal fin, belly fins; all were wildly added to the rumor, until it grew to maturity. Not one person tried to stop it.

The source of the rumors, the elders, appeared to be in complete delight. The people known as ''elders''—excluding the extremely serious exceptions—were basically men of leisure. "Looking important is work," and so on, was the gossip some attacked with.

When there was no work, they would drink tea all day and amuse themselves by talking about various topics. Obviously, they could not resist something interesting to talk about.

They danced with joy inside upon hearing Shinji's news. The elders, when they passed the verdict of probation on the dejected Shinji, even had something of a skipping type of light gait while they drank tea and turned back to each other. They haphazardly began talking like this:

"Ohh, did you know…?"

The elders, during this work time, were like different people in energetic activity.

Within an hour, there was almost nobody in the huge mansion who had not heard of Kazuma's return to the country. It certainly reached the servants, spreading to all kinds of people afterwards.

It was, in short, a situation where almost nobody knew the true facts. It wasn't a big problem for the elders, though, since their attitude was pretty much, ''If it's interesting, who cares what happens later!''

And so, news of Kazuma spread in the exact opposite direction which Shinji had hoped for.

To wit:

"Kazuma's returned as a dark magician."

"Kazuma was secretly murdered; he's buried in the back garden."

"Kazuma clashed with Shinji during work and suddenly killed him."

"Kazuma made a contract with the wind spirits. An evil demon."

The truth was subtly mixed in, but it was distorted so much that nobody could really interpret it. Obviously, no one feared Kazuma's retribution.

Kazuma, the main family's failure who had left all his talent in his mother's womb, like liquid skimmed off the top, had found a preferable power to take in, it seemed. Nobody laughed at that.

However, there were a small number of exceptions. One of them was the current suzerain, Kannagi Juugo. During supper, in the humorous talk that was being told, there was one item Juugo was interested in.

"Ohhhh? Kazuma chose Fuujutsu? Did you know that, Genma?"

Juugo spoke to his cousin sitting next to him. For some reason, as if harboring some ill will, Genma's smile was filled with hatred.

"…Oh"

Genma answered briefly. Apparently the rumor had already reached his ears, as he didn't appear disturbed.

However, it was clear he wasn't happy about the rumor either. The saying, ''like someone chewing up a bitter bug,'' perfectly described his frown as he gripped a tight fist.

''If Kazuma was in front of me, I'd want to strangle him to death.'' His expression openly displayed his thoughts.

"It's shameful."

"It's not especially shameful." Juugo answered lightly. He gave a command to a nearby servant: "I would like to hear a detailed account. Call Shinji."

"Certainly."

The moment he arrived, Shinji bowed down so low that he scraped the tatami in his prostration. His tension was great; he was sweating from his forehead and breathing awkwardly.

Truthfully, the difference in status between Kannagi's main family and branch family was absolute. It was impossible for the branch family to even dream of a revolution.

Tradition and social status meant nothing in Kannagi's system. The two families were simply separated by the overwhelming difference in power.

If a rebellion were to occur, Enjutsu practitioners like Juugo or Genma could simply smash everyone in the branch family by wiggling a finger. Because of this hopeless difference in power, no thoughts of rebellion were harbored.

Therefore, Shinji's tension was understandable. He was in front of Juugo, whose superiority was similar to a god, and had to recount his clumsy failure. This was definitely worse than his original feelings.

"Raise your face. You don't have to humble yourself like that."

Juugo spoke in a friendly manner. However, looking into the suzerain's face and speaking was far too overwhelming for Shinji. In the end, he raised his face, but his eyes still stared at the tatami as he submitted his report.

"A-and, I now have the privilege of being allowed to give this report."

"…I see."

After Shinji finished recounting everything, Juugo remained silent for a while after saying that.

"…I see."

As if to confirm, he repeated it once more. He closed his eyes lightly, and reminisced back to when his nephew (to be accurate, the relation was more separated than that, but he used the label since it was too much trouble) had left 4 years ago.

''(—What a poor child he was.)''

If Kazuma had been born to any but the Kannagi family, he would probably have been considered a superior child. Excellent intellect, good reflexes, and great promise in learning the jutsu; all jutsu except one. He was unable to manipulate fire.

However, for the Kannagi family, this was the most important ability.

No matter what else he was proficient at, someone with no talent for manipulating fire was treated as incompetent. Because of this, Kazuma was no longer part of the Kannagi.

''Still—'' Juugo thought.

''(Why didn't you ask me for help, Kazuma? There was no need to disown you from the family. If it was me, I would have made a place for you. Whatever Genma said, I wouldn't have cared about the Enjutsu, I would have made use of your talent, yet despite that…)''

Juugo looked down at his right leg. It was made of metal and plastic. If that accident hadn't happened, and the "rule of inheritance" hadn't been rushed, would Kazuma be here right now?

Unfortunately, it was far too late. Kazuma had thrown away the family, their name; all that was Kannagi, and had left Japan. This was reality. The ''past'' is a thing that could never be changed.

"…Suzerain?"

An uncertain voice brought Juugo back to reality. Looking around, he found everyone in an awkward silence. It wasn't surprising, as there were almost none among them who had not tormented Kazuma.

However, the one who had driven Kazuma out was calm. That person, Genma, spoke without a single change in his expression.

"Suzerain. Kazuma is already someone without any connection to the Kannagi. There is no need to worry about him."

"Genma, you would say that of your own son—"

"I have only one son, Ren."

Genma spoke coolly, interrupting the suzerain's words. Juugo considered replying, but, disliking unproductive battles, he decided to put other, safer words into his mouth.

"It's fine then. After all, Kazuma has become successful in Fuujutsu. Maybe it was best that he left the Kannagi... Or maybe, Hyoue, if he had been entrusted to your care, could he have become skilled and powerful?" 

"Perhaps." Sitting at a lower seat, Hyoue, the head of the Fuuga clan, answered sullenly. 

Genma again cut in with an objection.

"We are all afraid even though Fuujutsu and such are, after all, lower arts? The most they are capable of is acting as assistants to Enjutsu practitioners. Even if we had known 4 years ago of Kazuma's talent for Fuujutsu and left him to people like the Fuuga clan, clearly, we would still have had to disinherit him."

Hearing his art publicly insulted, Hyoue twisted his face in humiliation. However, nobody paid any attention to Hyoue nor his face.

To the Kannagi family, who only valued fighting power, the Fuuga clan, having been given the reconnaissance and battle support duties, was limited to a lower status. Genma was not trying to start a fight. He was not saying anything beyond the normal beliefs of the other Kannagi.

"…We will go no further with this talk. Dinner will become unpleasant."

At Juugo's words, everyone clearly showed relieved expressions on their faces. As if on cue, cheerful talk began, and they rolled around laughing at silly jokes.

Though awkwardly, the usual dining hall atmosphere returned.

And so, nobody noticed the dark light harbored in Hyoue's eyes. He suppressed his thoughts from showing up on his expression, and murmured in a voice so small it did not even reach his own ears.

"I will not forget this disgrace, Genma…"

=== 4 ===

"Kannagi……no, Yagami Kazuma……? You came back at a very good time!"

"Huo-huo-huo……" A hoarse laugh broke the strained silence. Not a single streak of light could be found in the single room filled with darkness.

"And……?"

"Yes, it's better if everyone hears this. Finally, the time has come. The time when we shall dispel the disgrace that has lasted 300 years. Now is the time for us to regain the power we lost, and return to our previous, glorious position."

"Ohhhhhhhhh…………"

A stifled commotion filled the air. No one shouted. Afraid of being discovered, they kept their breaths in check, keeping their tension locked inside the room.

"Oh, when you finally realize it, you Kannagi... We will overthrow you and leave not a single one remaining… Kukuku…"

A low and gloomy voice echoed with resentment darker than darkness...

''"U-uwaaaaaaaaaaaa! Wha-what, what are you doing-?!"''

Late at night on that same day, Shinji screamed out in terror. Nearby were two freshly severed heads, which tumbled down onto the floor. Following them were two headless corpses. And standing before him, a human?

Shinji was unable to say for certain. There was nothing different from a human by outward appearance, but it possessed an aura that a human could not possibly have.

The two corpses——who had been alive until 30 seconds ago——had been captured in a ''kekkai'' without any chance to prepare themselves and were immediately decapitated.

The mysterious person had not moved a single finger. And yet Shinji had clearly witnessed an incredible force slicing the two heads off as if they were nothing. Or rather, Shinji had been forced to witness.

Even though the other two surpassed him in skill, Shinji was the only person left alive. It wasn't because of luck. Shinji realized this more than anyone else.

He was being toyed with. This demon in human shape was feeding on Shinji's fear and hopelessness. It held off killing him for the moment, playing with him lazily, enjoying his empty resistance.

"What the hell?! What did I do…?"

The ''thing'' gave no answer. It came closer without even making footsteps, taking its time.

The ''thing'' remained completely silent. Nothing came out as it drew closer, wielding an invisible sword.

Silence even after severing those heads. The two blood-covered heads rolling on the ground seemed not to have noticed their own deaths, still having drunken, relaxed slack smiles.

Shinji knew of only one person who could do what this ''thing'' had just done. He had just met that person yesterday. In addition, that person had a motive to kill them.

Shinji became frantic, begging the ''thing'' for forgiveness. His voice did a complete turn.

"Ka-Kazuma? You're Kazuma, right? Forgive me——it was my fault, I-I regret it, so please, forgive meeee——"

The only reply was a flash from the wind-blade. It severed his right arm at the base. Formed from a high density of spirits, the blade cut through meat and bone as if it were tofu.

''"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"''

While screaming, Shinji threw himself fully into starting Enjutsu. The intense concentration from being so close to death brought forth the greatest power of his 25 years of life.

The ''thing'' became covered in a golden flame, the same one that had the power to destroy any and all demons, the highest level of purification. The flame burned brightly through the darkness.

"Y-yeah! I think I——"

Suddenly, ''that thing'', now a huge torch, began to move. Shinji's face, full of hope, froze.

The ''thing'' stretched out a hand, taking hold of the golden flame, ''and in one movement, tore it from its body.'' 

The ''thing'' emerged from the flame's restraints completely uninjured. Its body, and even its clothes, remained undamaged without any sign of having been engulfed by fire.

The ''thing'' slowly turned to Shinji and began walking. Underneath the freezing moonlight, without a sound, it came closer, an ominous shadow.

This was, in some ways, twisted. There was something there that the eye could not help but be fascinated by. A scene filled with beauty that one had to admit was from the spirit world.

"Hee, heehee, heeheeeeheeheehee-, kyahahahaha, ahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Shinji began laughing in a strange voice.

Evidently, his mental equilibrium had snapped from an overload of fear. Even as the wind-blade soundlessly sliced through his body, splitting it in half, he tumbled over laughing without even showing a reaction.

Perhaps the ''thing'' got tired of Shinji's lack of response. It casually sliced off his head as if throwing away an unwanted toy.

There was a dull ''thunk.'' The third head rolled on the ground.

The ''thing'' remained dissatisfied even after killing everyone. It continued to slice up the bodies. Though it was only for a few minutes, the three bodies were cut into many small pieces that even the parents of the corpses would no longer recognize; they wouldn't even be able to tell what kind of flesh it was or what limb it was.

As the raw stink of blood and meat drifted through the kekkai, the ''thing'' laughed cruelly and vanished as if melting into the air.

Afterwards, three severed heads remained. Though the bodies were in pieces, there was not one injury on those heads.

Somehow, the three heads had ended up facing the gate in a straight line. Each had a strange smile, as if to say to anyone coming through that gate, "Welcome to a nightmare."

And so the tragedy began...

<noinclude>
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|-
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter1

2013-09-19T01:54:44Z

GoldenFyre: /* 1 */

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 6

2013-09-15T22:15:01Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 6 [Saturday, 24 October 08:06] */

==Command 6 [Saturday, 24 October 08:06]==

There were two unread messages in the phone.

"Eh...One of them is from Chiemi that is telling us to hurry back to school...but how can we go to school with our mood now?"

"Yeah. You're right."

Then, he opened the other message.

*[10/24 Saturday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 6: Student Number 21 Hashimoto Naoya(M) and Student Number 9(F) Ueda Kana— Every student will have to carry out a friendship popularity voting of the two of them. The one with the lower popularity will be punished. If the popularity voting is not carried out, both of them will be punished. ※ Split Votes are not allowed.
*END]

The moment Nobuaki saw the message he lost his strength and dropped his phone onto the floor.

"I almost forgot...Naoya was the one appointed this time. Why should it be Naoya..."

"A popularity voting? The loser will be punished? Doesn't this mean someone must suffer this time? If I win, then Kana will be punished; if I lose, I'll be punished."

Naoya held his hand, agonizing. If he wanted to live he must sacrifice his classmate. The voters would also feel bad because the results will most probably decide the one who will die.

This voting was really a voting of 'friendship'.

Nobuaki immediately phoned Chiemi.

"Are you at school now?"

"Yes. Why haven't you guys come yet? We still have lessons on Saturday."

"We'll be coming right now! I also have some other things to tell you."

"What?"

Nobuaki swallowed hard and said,

"The King's Game is real. Daisuke was hung dead right beside us."

"Eh? So...Daisuke is already...? So, what should we do about the King's command this time?"

"We must carry it out. If we don't, Naoya will be punished. I will be coming school now to explain to our class."

"..."

"I will do my best to safeguard Naoya!"

Nobuaki exclaimed and hung up the call.

Naoya who was beside him was still holding his head, kneeling on the floor.

"Let's go to school!"

"There's nothing we can do even if we go to school..."

Nobuaki gripped Naoya by the wrist and pulled him up forcibly.

"If we have to vote, then you must have more votes than Kana!"

"But then Kana will be punished..."

Looking at Naoya who was freaked out by fear, Nobuaki angrily reprimanded,

"Do you want me to see how you're being punished?! Though I don't know what the punishment is, it will most likely kill you! I cannot bear with such consequence!"

"Nobuaki..."

"I must not let you be punished! What I'm saying might be totally unforgiveable towards Kana, but still, you must win."

Nobuai and Naoya ran to school in quick steps. At the classroom door, Nobuaki pushed the door open and glared at Shouta defiantly.

"Nobuaki! You're late again. What's wrong with you—opening the door so violently? Have you not introspected enough?"

Nobuaki didn't hear a word of what the teacher was saying and charged to Shouta's seat directly. He violently threw a punch at Shouta's face, throwing Shouta off the chair and having a pratfall right on the floor. A deafening clamour stormed in the classroom. A few girls also screeched.

"It's all because of you that Daisuke is hung dead! It's your fault..."

Nobuaki fiercely scolded Shouta who was sitting on the floor, puzzled.

"Nobuaki! What are you doing? You can't hit others!"

The teacher hold Nobuaki from behind but Nobuaki still shouted,

"It's all because of you that Daisuke would..."

"Ouch! Why did you suddenly hit me? Do you want a fight?"

"A fight? No problem! But now isn't the time for this..."

"What happened to Daisuke? He haven't yet arrive to school today."

Hearing the Taichi's question, he said, pretending to be calm,

"No. Nothing."

And then he kneeled down in front of the teacher in request,

"I'm really sorry. I won't hit Yahiro again, nor would I argue with him. Although now is the time for class, I want you to give me five minutes! Please!"

"What the heck are you doing, Nobuaki? Stand up now."

Nobuaki lifted his face up, looked at the teacher, and continued his plea,

"Only four minutes, please!"
"Four minutes, right? If that's what you want, then four minutes will it be. Don't fight."

The teacher said with a bothered expression.

"I know! Thanks!"

Nobuaki stood up and patted the dust off of his knees. After the teacher went out of the classroom, Nobuaki walked up to the teacher's table and first apologised to Shouta.

"I'm sorry for hitting you just then!"

"Why did you suddenly punch me? Did I offend you?"

Shouta didn't look wanting to let matters rest and spoke out loudly, provoking Nobuaki.

"I know you're angry, but hear me first! If you still want to hit me, then do it."

"This is what you said!"

After that, Nobuaki turned to other students in the class and said in an extremely serious tone,

"The King's Game is for real."

The class turned into shrieks instantly. Shouta then sneered,

"How will that happen? Is your brain right? Have you gone nuts?"

Nobuaki neglected Shouta's response and continued,

"Yesterday, Naoya and I were worried that Daisuke would have an episode, so we stayed with him at his place for the night. Daisuke had no intention of hanging himself, nor did we want to commit suicide. But when we fell asleep, he was hung dead."

There was another uproar in the classroom.

"Daisuke is dead?"

"Is the King's Game for real?"

"Daisuke's dead...for real?"

Noticing that everyone was quite incredulous, Nobuaki continued,

"This is absolutely true. Hideki, Shitomi, and Daisuke all died because of it. In these short days all of them were hung dead. This isn't any coincidence."

Shouta asked sceptically,

"Was Daisuke really hung dead?"

"Yes...Naoya and I are the witnesses. Inside the room where we slept, Daisuke...was hung dead at the other side of where we slept."

"Was he hung because of my command?"

Shouta's face turned miserably pale.

"Looking at the results, yes. However, you didn't know the King's Game was for real at that time, and so was I."

"I...What have I done!"

"I really wanted to punch you, and so I did. Yet, I wouldn't blame it on you for this. After all, you were too angry for Misaki at that time that made you reproaching Daisuke."

"Actually I haven't thought of reproaching Shouta for Misaki's episode. After all, we thought the King's Game was only for fun."

Mami said as she looked at Shouta.

"Everyone thought the King's Game was only a farce and didn't thought the punishment was real. When Hideki and Shitomi died, I also thought it was a coincidence..."

Hiroko continued after Mami. Then a lot of students continued and said they won't reproach Shouta for this.

Of course, there were also some that couldn't forgive him. They just didn't say it out. When everyone started playing the King's Game in frenzy, they thought it was simply a joke.

"Nevertheless, I'm quite sure the King's Game is real for this time. The command of the King's Game this time is to carry out a friendship voting between Naoya and Kana. Does everyone want to vote?"

Nobuaki's question that sounded redundant was fleetingly rejected by Mami.

"Of course we'll vote! If we don't, Naoya and Kana will be punished altogether!"

"But whether the results go for Naoya or Kana, however we vote for them, one must lose, and the punishment may likely be the cost of their lives, do you still want to vote?"

After Nobuaki analysed the problem clearly, Mami who just rebuked him suddenly calmed down.

"Then it wouldn't be good...because we would be the judge of their lives. I can't do this."

"True in normal circumstances, but now if everyone refuses to vote then both of them will be punished. Therefore I think we should still vote. The premise is that Naoya and Kana are both willing to be voted."

Hearing Nobaki, an in-awe atmosphere filled the classroom.

"What does this mean?"

"If Naoya and Kana don't want to carry out the friendship voting, they will have to be punished altogether. So the final decision is on their hands."

Listening to Nobuaki, Naoya quickly replied,

"I have to participate in the friendship voting!"

"Naoya has already decided! How about Kana?"

Kana stared at the celing blankly for a while then said with determination,

"I don't want to be punished too! I'll also participate in the friendship voting!"

"It's decided then. No matter the circumstances, no matter how it ends up, you two can't grudge each other, because it was your own decision to do so! Also, everyone must think seriously of who to vote for."

"When will we vote then?"

Kana stood up to ask Nobuaki.

"There are only lessons in the morning, so let's do it at 1 p.m. in the classroom, shall we?"

"Got it."

"Then we'll vote in the classroom at one. Please be here at that time, everyone."

Naoya and Kana had agreed. Nobuaki ran to the staff room to look for their class teacher to go back to the classroom for the lesson.

"Sir, I've finished what I said. Thanks."

"Very well. I was afraid of Tasaki Daisuke so I phoned his place, but there wasn't anyone answering the phone. So I think he most likely wouldn't show up for class today. Have you asked him why he didn't come?"

"...I didn't."

"Is that so? If there is anything wrong with him please tell me."

"Yes..."

The teacher and Nobuaki walked back to the classroom together. The class had already pacified and returned to a calm state—at least on the surface that was.

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 5

2013-09-15T22:09:10Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 5 [Friday, 23 October 08:15] */

==Command 5 [Friday, 23 October 08:15]==

In one corner of the classroom, Shouta and Daisuke were having an argument.

"You must have done it with Misaki yesterday!"

"There's no way! I couldn't..."

"No way? Don't look down on me! How dare you sleep with my girl?!"

Shouta picked him up and held him against the wall.

"Misaki, come over here!"

Misaki was covering her face with her hands, trying to hide the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I was terrified and scared..."

"So? Didn't I tell you not to believe in the King's Game? According to Daisuke, it was you who sent a message to him and called him out, wasn't it?"

"I...was scared."

"How dare you! We're over!"

"Please don't... please understand."

Misaki collapsed onto the floor and sobbed; but nothing could calm Shouta's rage.

"By the way, it's still Daisuke's fault! Even if Misaki asks you, you could have rejected her!"

Shouta held up his fist and slammed it into Daisuke, smashing his face into the wall and causing his nose to spurt out blood. Shouta wanted to punch him once again, but was stopped by Nobuaki.

"Stop it! Stop fighting! Even if it was Daisuke's fault, you've gone too far!"

Nobuaki got hold of Shouta and forced him to let go of Daisuke.

After a while, Shouta said to the other students in the class, stretching his arms out wide,

"The King will let me give the command this time, right? That's what the message said!"

"What do you want to do?"

For an instant the classroom seemed to have frozen.

"So I'll give my command now. Daisuke will have to hang himself like Hideki and Satomi!"

Shouta shouted arrogantly. Nobaki hurried to stop him.

"Why would you say that! According to your command, Daisuke will have to die whether he follows the command or not!"

"Didn't I said before that I don't believe it? Daisuke and Misaki will understand now that they shouldn't have believed in this shitty game, won't they?"

Shouta patted Nobuaki on his shoulder  and left. Nobaki stared at his back as he left.

At that moment, many different ringtones rang throughout the classroom. The students in the classroom immediately took their phones out to check their messages.

Nobuaki, surprised, also took out his phone to see what the message was.

*[10/23 Friday 8:21
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 5: Student Number 17 Tasaki Daisuke — Tasaki Daisuke will have to hang himself.
*END]

"What should I do now?"

Daisuke shouted crazily and ran around of the classroom.

Seeing his situation, Shouta scoffed,

"Serves you right!"

"You...!"

Nobuaki clenched his fists and rushed to Shouta.

"Stop! This will just make matters worse, won't it?"

"Yeah! The most important thing now is to think of a way to solve Daisuke's problem."

Chiemi and Naoya hurried to Nobuaki to stop him, trying to help him calm down.

"Chiemi, tell the teacher when he arrives that I'll be coming back to the classroom a bit late. I'm off to find Daisuke."

That being said, Nobuaki quickly ran off into the corridor to look for any signs of Daisuke.

To his disappointment, Daisuke was neither in the corridor, washroom, stairs, nor the cafeteria. After that, he had a look at the shoes cupboard and found out that Daisuke's shoes were gone.

Daisuke may have run out of the school. Nobuaki thought and changed his shoes. He continued to call out for his friend.

"Daisuke! Daisuke! Where are you?"

Nobuaki looked everywhere in the school, the playground, and even behind the school building.

At last, he found Daisuke sitting on a large rock beside a pond.

Nobuaki approached him quietly. He then gently touched his shoulder.

Shocked, Daisuke stiffened and slowly turned to face Nobuaki.

"You scared the hell out of me, Nobuaki! Why did you come for me?"

"Why did I come for you? Because I'm worried about you."

"Hey, what should I do now? Can you tell me?"

Nobuaki sat beside Daisuke and pointed to his phone with a smile.

"Don't believe in the King's Game and everything will be fine."

"Even if that happened to Hideki and Shitomi?"

"Just take it as a coincidence."

Daisuke picked up some pebbles from the ground and threw them into the pond.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to hang yourself.."

"...Sorry."

"Nobuaki, you should hurry back to class. The first lesson is going to start."

"You have to come with me."

"I want to stay here for a bit longer."

"Then I'll stay as well! We'll go back later and get scolded by the teacher together."

Nobuaki stretched his hand towards Daisuke; and at this moment,

"Ah, I've come up with a good idea! If the King's Game is real, then those who don't follow the command by midnight will get punished, right?"

"Probably..."

Nobuaki stood in front of Daisuke and spread out his arms.

"If that's the case, then the punished can be saved if there's someone looking after them by their side."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I will stay with you tonight so you don't hang yourself!"

"Right! Even if I suddenly wanted to hang myself, you'll stop me from doing so! Are you really going to stay with me tonight?"

"Yeah, leave it to me!"

Nobuaki slapped his chest  and said confidently.

"Thanks."

Daisuke finally smiled.

"This is great! Let's hurry back to the classroom."

At the classroom's door, Nobuaki knew already the lesson has started. He nervously opened the door.

"Hey! You two! Where did you go? Classstarted a long time ago."

Nobuaki apologized and headed into the classroom.

"Sorry, I seem to be a bit constipated today, so I sat in the washroom for a very long time..."

"What rubbish! How could anyone stay in the washroom for so long! Watch out for hemorrhoids. Now get back to your seat!"

"I'm really sorry..."

Daisuke whispered to Nobuaki,

"We got in trouble. I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

"It's nothing really. This isn't the first time so, I'm used to it."

After he went back to his seat, his phone suddenly rang.

*[10/23 Friday 09:23
*'''From''': Honda Chiemi
*'''Subject''': Thank you for your hard work 
*'''Bod'''y: It's great that you brought Daisuke back, even though you got scolded. Oh and by the way, do you really have hemorrhoids?
*END]

Nobuaki gestured with his hands the peace sign, V, in Chiemi's direction and said, "I don't have constipation, nor do I have hemorrhoids! Stupid!"

"Do you want to stand outside the classroom?"

"Sorry..."

Chiemi smiled to Nobuaki and also gestured with her hands the peace sign, V.

"Why do you have to use the peace sign? I don't get it."

After school, as they had agreed beforehand, Nobuaki waited for Daisuke at the school gate.

"Sorry. I'm late!"

"Don't worry! We have someone else who'll help us."

Naoya , who was hiding behind Nobuaki, poked his head out. 

"I think you'll feel more relaxed if more people are around, so I volunteered! Is it all right?"

Daisuke showed an expression of extreme happiness.

"Nobuaki, Naoya. Thanks so much!"

"No problem." 

The three of them headed to Daisuke's house. It was an independent mansion in the luxurious residential area.

"I'm back!"

A big courtyard surrounded this mansion. There were Toyota, Volkswagen, and Lexus cars in the parking lot. Nobuaki was astonished at this scene.

"What is this? A super wealthy family?"

"We only have a little extra money."

"What!? A little!? This is ten times bigger than my house!"

"Okay okay, now come in."

When they had walked through the meticulously paved driveway and came to the front of the gate, Daisuke's mother had already come out to greet them.

"You're back. Eh? Are they your friends?"

"Yes, I'm back. They are Nobuaki and Naoya! They will be staying over today." 

Nobuaki whispered to Daisuke in his ears,

"You're mum is very beautiful—at least 28 times more beautiful than mine."

"Living in a mansion, having such a beautiful mum... I'm so envious!"

Nobuaki and Naoya then greeted his mum politely.

"My surname is Kanazawa! Ma'am, you sure are beautiful."

"I am Hashimoto. Sorry for bothering you."

"Nyaaa, Kanazawa-san is so sweet." 

"Oh it's nothing. I'm speaking the truth."

"Forget the formalities and come in now."

Blushing, Daisuke pushed Nobuaki and Naoya into his room.

After eating a grand dinner that Daisuke's mother had cooked, Nobuaki, Naoya, and Daisuke tried not to think about the King's Game.

Daisuke took out a video game console and a stack of games. The three of them played enthusiastically, and Daisuke never showed any hint of sadness.

"The last time when they didn't follow the orders we got a message five minutes before the deadline. We should receive the same message this time."

The three of them stopped playing the video games and took out their phones utterly serious. They focused on the screen of their phone and waited for the time to come.

The ticking sounds of the second hand of the clock had became loud and clear. All in a sudden, their phones rang simultaneously.

*[10/23 Fridy 23:55
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 5 Minutes Left
*End]

"W-What should I do? Nobuaki!"

"I told you to calm down! We're here for you! Besides, didn't we put any ropes and things like that into other rooms and locked them away? You can't hang yourself without those."

After that, their phones rang again together.

*[10/23 Friday 23:58
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 60 Seconds Left
*END]

"Come over here, Daisuke and Naoya! Let's form a circle!"

The three of them sat down, formed a circle, and put their arms above each other. Then, their phones rang for the third time.

"It should be the punishment message because you didn't carry out the command. Let me take a look!"

*[10/23 Friday 23:59
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Because the King's command was not carried out, the following person would be hung by the neck as a punishment: Student Number 17 Tasaki Daisuke
*END]

"I won't let Daisuke be hung!"

Nobuaki shouted with an encouraging tone. Though their phones received again a message with an unknown sender, they kept still and maintained their circle that was bonded by their arms.

5 minutes passed.

10 minutes.

30 minutes.

60 minutes.

Then Naoya lifted his head at last and said,

"Is it all right now?"

Nobuaki also slowly lifted up his head.

"Looks like nothing happened."

"Then does that mean I'm saved?"

"Seems like that to me!"

Daisuke stood up, still holding firmly to Nobuaki and Naoya's hands.

"I'm saved! I'm really saved! Nobuaki, Naoya, thank you so much!"

Because of this catharsis, tears dripped from Daisuke's eyes.

"Hideki and Shitomi's death were just coincidences. The King's Game is actually fake and only a prank! That's great, Daisuke!"

Nobuaki said. After that, he lay on the floor. The three of them were released from the terror and were now bathed in joy.

At this moment, Nobuaki's phone rang. He looked at the screen: it was Chiemi calling.

"What's the matter, Chiemi? We're celebrating."

"It seems you guys are very excited. How's Daisuke? Is he fine?"

"He's great! That's why we're so happy!"

"Then that's great! Now I can relax. But, have you seen the King's message yet? The next appointed one is Naoya!"

"Hoho, so is the next person Naoya?"

Chiemi changed her tone, one that carried anger,

"How can you have the mood to say this! Aren't you afraid?"

"Daisuke is safe and sound. This means that the King's game is only a prank, right? So there would be no problem with Naoya! Why scare yourself?"

"Ah, right! Then I can really relax. Don't play too late. I'm heading off to sleep."

"Sweet dreams! I love Chiemi the most! Chirp!"

"You sure are gross!"

"Just say I'm gross. There's no need to add 'sure'."

Relieved by the breath-taking crisis, the three of them continued on their Wii and PS3 games, battling fiercely all the way until 3 o'clock at night.

Nobuaki, though he slept late, was woken up by the alarm clock early the next morning at 07:08. He didn't know why, but his felt body very heavy. He looked to his side to find out that Naoya was holding to him from behind while he slept. 

"Why are you holding me so tightly? You're gross!" 

Nobuaki kicked Naoya off of himself.

"I want to hold to you while I sleep—"

"You're sleeping posture sure is ugly. And you're hungry for anything. Wake up now, Naoya!"

Nobuaki vibrantly flicked at Naoya's lower-half of his body with his finger, causing him to cover his pants, showing an extremely painful expression.

"You sounded like a duck just then. Are you awake now? Daisuke should also be awake by now."

Looking up to the bed, Nobuaki found Daisuke was not on it. He turned on the lamp and looked around.

What he saw was Daisuke hung dead on the other side of the room.

His face showed an expression of extreme pain. His neck had numerous scratching scars and his arms were long impotent and dangling loosely beside his body.

The electric wires of the game set the three of them were playing with a few hours ago were now entangled around Daisuke's neck.

"Why did this happen?! Why did this happen?! Was it because he didn't follow the King's command?"

Nobuaki kneeled on the floor, sobbing. He fiercely pounded the floor. Naoya had now also discovered the dead Daisuke.

"What? Hey, Nobuaki. Just now, not long ago, we were still playing with Daisuke..."

Naoya leaned his forehead onto Nobuaki's shoulder, crying,

"What is this for?! Why does the King's Game have to play around with people!"

The shouts of they two reverberated inside Daisuke's house. At this moment, Naoya suddenly regained his composure and said,

"Maybe we can still save him. Let's call the ambulance right away."

Naoya quickly took out his phone and dialled 119. Nobuaki loosened the electrical wires that were entangling Daisuke's neck, brought him to his bed, laid him down, and held onto his hand firmly.

"Such a cold hand, too cold. And such a sick looking face, so are his lips..." 

Looking at Daisuke who was laid on the bed, Nobuaki wanted deeply to believe he was in a nightmare.

"Sorry... We thought that we could loosen up when the time was up. If we had kept our awareness, things wouldn't have ended like this. Isn't this the reason we came to be with you?"

Nobuaki held Daisuke's corpse. His tears dripped slowly and slided across his cheeks.

Daisuke's cheeks, lips, palms, and arms were all sickly looking and without a sign of life. His eyes were firmly closed.

Hearing the noise, Daisuke's mother hurried into the room.

"Daisuke... What's the matter?"

Looking at Daisuke on his bed, Daisuke's mother seemed couldn't understand what had happened. She walked up to the bed and fondled Daisuke's face, which was emotionless and numb.

"Daisuke! Wake up!"

Daisuke's mother potently grasped Daisuke's cold hand and looked afar.

"Sorry. When we got out of bed this morning, we found him dead."

"Daisuke... wake up now."

"Last night..."

"Your classmates have already woken up."

"..."

The ambulance Naoya called had already arrived, buzzing up and down as it approached. 

"The ambulance. But it's too late. There's no use now."

Nobuaki clenched his fist potently.

Daisuke's corpse was carried into the ambulance and sent to the hospital together with Daisuke's mother.

Until the last moment Daisuke's mother still believed Daisuke was only sleeping. After all, it was impossible for her to accept reality.

The diminishing of the buzzing sounds of the ambulance leaving was as if Daisuke's life was taken away by someone forcibly.

Where should my grief overflow? Where should my anger be exerted?

"Naoya, no matter what happens, I will protect you and Chiemi!" 

Nobuaki said, still standing in his place.

"Me too. We're best friends! We'll be best friends forever!"

"But can you not hold on to me while you sleep? It's terribly gross..."

"What are you talking about—you wouldn't die if you let me hold on to you!"

Nobuaki and Naoya laughed powerlessly. They were afraid if they didn't make up some jokes to change the atmosphere, they would collapse in madness and terror.

Although they were laughing, tears flowed from their eyes. There's nothing sadder than to see a friend dead in front of you.

When the police came to inquire the events of the incident, Nobuaki simply replied,

"When I woke up this morning, I found out that he was already dead."

After all, if he had said, "He was hung because of the punishment of the King's Game," the police would not have believed him.

<noinclude>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 4|Command 4 [Thursday, 22 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 6|Command 6 [Saturday, 24 October 08:06]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 4

2013-09-15T21:58:26Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 4 [Thursday, 22 October 00:00] */

''''Italic text''''==Command 4 [Thursday, 22 October 00:00]==

*[10/21 Thursday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 4: Student Number 17 Tasaki Daisuke(m) and Student Number 20 Nakajima Misaki(f) —The two of you will have sex.
*END]

Nobuaki sighed deeply.

"For them to have sex...this is too much! They would never do that!"

At that moment, Chiemi called him.

"What do you think?" Nobuaki asked casually. 

Chiemi's voice was panicked.

"What do I think of it?! What were those 4 messages about? Hideki and Satomi will be hanged as punishment? And the next command is for Daisuke and Misaki to have sex!? Misaki is Shouta's girlfriend!! How could this happen? The person who started this game has gone too far!"

"Even if you ask me, I have no idea. This command is ridiculous! And if you're really worried about Hideki and Satomi, why not phone them? I'll phone Hideki, and you phone Satomi."

"Okay!"

With that said, Nobuaki ended the call and phoned Hideki; however, he could only hear endless ring tones.

"What's wrong with Hideki?! Is he still playing Pachinko? ...Or maybe he just turned off his phone?"

He ended the call and phoned Chiemi. "Did Satomi answer her phone?"

"No, she didn't..."

"Is that so..."

Hearing Chiemi's worried voice, Nobuaki laughed and told her, "Forget this stupid King's game. You don't need to worry."

"Really? But..."

"They won't actually follow the commands and go hang themselves, right? Get some sleep now, and we'll see what happens at school tomorrow."

"Tomorrow..."

"Just wait till tomorrow, and get some sleep tonight."

"Okay... Good night."

Nobuaki knew that Chiemi was worried, and he had tried to calm her. However, he himself felt uneasy. He phoned Hideki again to try to make himself feel better, but there was no answer. As for Satomi, he didn't have her phone number so he couldn't phone her.

"I guess I'll just wait for tomorrow, then."

Giving up, he went to sleep.

<The Next Morning>

The students in the classroom were talking about the King's Game. Among them, Mami and Misaki were talking enthusiastically.

"Misaki, have you read the message this time? You have to have sex!", Mami clapped, doubling over laughing.

"I read it! When I saw my name, I was a bit curious about what command would be, but when I saw it, I was shocked that I have to have sex!"

"Even I wouldn't say that having sex is easy. Besides, you have a boyfriend already."

"If I really have sex, Shouta would kill me! If it were another command, maybe I would accept it."

"Misaki, maybe you actually like these games?" The two girls laughed and clapped.

"What are you saying?! Misaki, you've gone further then me! You once hung out with a guy and rented a room, didn't you?"

"Ayahhhhh! How did you know?"

"It's a small world."

Misaki slapped Mami's back, and their laughter filled the classroom. Nobuaki hurried to the two, who were laughing and joking, and said, "Mami, do you know Hideki? Did you phone him last night or this morning?"

Mami replied, laughing, "Yeah! Around 10, he was playing Pachinko and won a bunch. He was even showing it all off in front of me."

"10? What happened after that?"

"Nothing."

"Really... I tried to call him after 12, but he didn't answer, and he never called me back."

"So?" Mami's tone was filled with impatience.

"Arn't you worried about him? Hideki and Satomi are to be punished and [hung by the neck]—didn't you receive this message? Will that person... do something bad to them?"

"Ayhaaa~ ~ I don't care! I'm more interested in the King's command for Daisuke and Misaki to have sex."

The only thing in her brain was to have sex.

"Okay...Thanks."

Nobuaki returned to his seat.

In the classroom now, the excited and curious students formed circles around Daisuke and Misaki. Didn't anyone notice Hideki and Satomi haven't yet arrived to school? Nobuaki thought.

"Hey, Chiemi, have Hideki and Satomi come in yet?"

"Not yet. Satomi didn't call me back too."

"It's almost time for the morning assembly..."

After a short while the teacher came into the classroom, bringing along with him a heavy atmosphere. In the end, Hideki and Satomi didn't show up. The students returned to their seats one by one. When they were seated, the teacher spoke in a serious manner, "I have some bad news. Toyoda Hideki and Ishii Satomi passed away last night. Their guardians notified the school this morning."

His words stirred up a commotion in the classroom. Nobuaki stood up and asked, "Sir, about the death of Hideki and Satomi... Were they hung?"

For an instant the teacher's breath was taken away.

"That's right...How did you know?"

"Err..."

"Their parents suspected that their children were being bullied in school, but we teachers have assured them that there was no bullying whatsoever."

"Hideki isn't someone who would commit suicide because he's being bullied! He isn't!" Nobuaki roared. Chiemi, on the other hand, covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

"Yeah! There was also no one bullying Satomi..."

The teacher tried to calm the students down, "I thought so too, so please don't blame yourselves!"

Some in the classroom cried painfully; some lowered their heads; and others were restless and you could see the uneasiness on their faces. At this chaotic moment, someone shouted, "Does this have something to do with the King's command yesterday?"

The classroom filled with whispering sounds once again.

"What is that? What's the King's Game about?" asked their teacher. He obviously knew nothing about the King's Game.

Nobuaki told the teacher about the events that had transpired.

That everyone in the class would receive a message at midnight. That the message would contain a command for a few members of the class. That Hideki and Satomi did not follow their command, so they had received punishment.

"How can anything like this happen! Why would you even believe in such a stupid message? I know it's hard for you to believe this, but please don't get too involved in these matters. Just continue to focus on your studies. The morning assembly for today ends here." Wanting to quickly drop the subject, their teacher ended the assembly.

"Wait, Sir! How can we focus our studies during something like this!?" A student called to the teacher, but he had already left.

"How can he act like this?! Hideki and Satomi are already dead! They're our classmates! Is focusing on our studies really more important than our friends?!"

Nobuaki shouted to the empty teacher's desk. He fixed his eyes on Hideki and Satomi's seats—just yesterday the owners of these seats were sitting here as usual.

After the teacher left the classroom, the students gathered swiftly and started their discussion.

"Anyone know why they hung themselves?"

"Don't tell me that if we don't follow the commands, we're going to die!"

"How could this happen?"

"But they..."

Nobuaki interrupted Mami and Minako's conversation.

"Is the game that important?! You guys should at least care about Hideki and Satomi..."

Misaki then charged in with an ashen look, "Hey, if the King's Game is for real, then, if I don't have sex with Daisuke, would I become like them?"

Nobuaki could not answer her. He wanted to tell her 'Just ignore that stupid command.', but Hideki and Satomi's deaths were facts.

Suddenly, Shouta shouted angrily, "Misaki! Please don't believe in this! This must be a coincidence. If you follow that stupid command, I won't forgive you! I'll definitely break up with you!"

Misaki replied with a shivering voice, "But I'm scared... I don't want to die like them..."

"I won't believe in something like that! Daisuke, come over here!"

Daisuke approached him timidly.

"...So?"

Shouta grabbed Daisuke firmly by the collar and lifted his body up.

"If you follow the King's command and have sex with Misaki, I'll kill you!"

Daisuke turned his face away from Shouta, then said timidly, "I understand..."

"You hear it, Misaki? This goes the same for you!"

"But..."

Nobuaki, who didn't want this to go any further, quickly went to stop them. "Leave it, Shouta. Calm down, they haven't done anything wrong yet."

"Stay out of my business, you annoying little.."

Shouta loosened his grip and left the classroom. Misaki then returned to her seat.

"Hey, Mami, Minako. How can I explain to him? Should I just die instead?"

Mami and Minako couldn't reply. To Daisuke, Misaki, and Souta, their friends' deaths were far less important than the decision they have to make right now. Noticing their awkward atmosphere, Naoya ran to the front of Nobuaki and asked, "Is the King's Game for real? If it is..."

Nobuaki brushed him away with his hand.

"The King's Game... What kind of shit is this! Hideki and Satomi are already dead!"

"Oh...Sorry..."

Chiemi was weeping at Nobuaki's side. Nobuaki gently stroked her head. As he did, tears rushed from his eyes.

Hideki and Satomi would never come back. They died as the message promised for not following the command. This must have stirred everyone into a panic.

Should the appointed two follow the command this time? Was the death of the other two only a coincidence?

In the chaotic classroom, Misaki took out her phone and tried to send a message to someone.

Some were particularly mindful of the punishment of the King's Game. Some were sad for Hideki and Satomi's death. Some others were confused about whether their deaths were simply coincidence or not.

The classroom atmosphere had altered greatly since Hideki and Satomi, the fun makers of the class, passed away.

Perhaps slowly starting to accept that Hideki and Satomi's death was true, most classmates were afflicted with grief. Knowing that Hideki and Satomi would not be in the class ever again, many classmates couldn't help but cry.

The after-school bell rang and Nobuaki packed his bag and prepared to return home as usual. Chemi approached him with a sad face.

"Can I stay at your house tonight? I want to stay with you."

Nobuaki lightly tapped on her head and replied gently, "Sure, you can come over."

Chiemi wiped off her tears and smiled to cover up her sad face. She held on tightly to Nobauki by the sleeves of his uniform, as if telling him she was ready to go. 

On their way home, the two did not talk. They were scared that if they did, they might talk about Hideki and Satomi. Just thinking about them made them tear up, so they stopped talking so they would forget about the King's Game. Chiemi held tightly to Nobuai's sleeves the entire way for emotional support. They still didn't talk after they had entered Nobuaki's room. All they could do, they thought, was snuggle up to each other and heal their injured hearts with their body warmth.

Suddenly, after some time, their phones rang together.

*[10/22 Thursday 21:12
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*END]

Nobuaki stood up abruptly.

Receiving the 'Obedience Confirmed' message means that Daisuke and Misaki had followed the command due to fear of the punishment.

"Did Daisuke and Misaki really follow the command?"

Chiemi could not help but cry, "Maybe... What if we receive the same command next time, then what will we do, Nobuaki?"

Nobuaki held her in his arms and comforted her, "Who said anyone had to follow the commands! But, now everyone in the class knows that Daisuke and Misaki had sex..."

"Shouta must be going berserk right now."

"I think so too—let's phone Daisuke and Misaki to find out. I don't know Daisuke's phone number, so I can't call him. Oh, I think you have Misaki's phone number, right?

"Yeah, I do," Chiemi replied.

"Then please phone her. Actually, no, please don't."

"Why?"

"Do you have to ask? Could you really just go and ask her if she had sex with Daisuke?"

"I.. I can't.."

"Then you don't need to call."

After a few hours, their phones rang again. Half asleep, Nobuaki crawled up, rubbed his eyes and took out his phone.

[1 New Message]

He turned on the lights and woke Chiemi up. Chiemi was also sleepy and drowsy.

"What?"

"We've received a message again. It's probably the King's message."

*[10/21 Thursday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 5: Student Number 30 Yahiro Shouta(M) —In front of everyone, Yahiro Shouta will have to give out any order. The person that is declared must follow his order as if it is the King's command.
*END]

"Now Shouta has to give out an order..?"

Chiemi replied with a sleepy tone, "Thats fine, right? He just needs to make a simple order and that's it."

"Right! Hey, are you still asleep?" Nobuaki asks.

"Ugh.. Just go to sleep."

"What's a simple command like?"

Chiemi coldy replied, "Sleep."

"Isn't this command too vague? Something simpler like 'eat something' or to 'breath' would work better—what do you think?"

Nobuaki looked at Chiemi for her response, but she had already fallen into deep sleep.

"...You're right—sleep will work.."

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 5|Command 5 [Friday, 23 October 08:15]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3

2013-09-15T21:50:46Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35] */

==Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]==

<After School>

After the lessons, as Nobuki was packing up his textbooks and notes, he said to Chiemi,

"Let's go!"

"Right! I haven't gone to your place for some time now. I'm really looking forward to it."

When they got to the door, Nobuaki bowed deeply and welcomed Chiemi like a housekeeper.

"Welcome to my humble abode, princess."

"Hey! Thats rude! I've been here a lot of times already. There's no need to do this anymore."

"Hey, Chiemi, long time no see! Are you coming to play today?" Nobuaki's mum asked.

"Long time no see, Ma'am. Yeah, I'm coming over to play."

"Do you want me to bring your dinner to Nobuaki's room?"

"Huh! Wouldn't that be too troublesome?"

Having heard what Nobuaki's mum had said, Chiemi rubbed her hands joyfully.

"No it wouldn't be troublesome! I will bring it up in a bit."

"Thanks, ma'am!"

The two of them talked while Nobuaki took off his shoes.

"Ah, Chiemi, it's wonderful that you can stay over tonight."

"Is it?! It's gratifying to hear you say so."

Nobuaki and Chiemi kept playing video games till dinner. After dinner, they did a bit of their homework and slipped into their sleeping bags. At that moment, both of their cell phones began to ring.

Nobuaki poked his head out of the blanket and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was midnight. He turned to look at Chiemi and his eyes met hers.

"Is it the King's message again?"

"I'm afraid so..."

"Do we still have to play? This is such a stupid game! What is it this time?!"

He crawled out of the sleeping bag and took a look at the message on his phone.

*[10/21 Wednesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 3: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(M) and Student Number 3 Ishii Satomi(F)—Toyoda Hideki will touch Ishii Satomi's breast.
*END]

"Is this for real..."

Nobuaki's eyes met Chiemi's again.

"Hideki is chosen again. But this time, Hideki..."

"-will be delighted, right?"

"Yeah... Although Satomi isn't beautiful, but she sure is cute, right?"

"Yes, she's cute."

Nobuaki lay on his sleeping blanket and read the message again.

"Hideki will be happy to follow the command—this must be the King's plan to make us continue playing the game!" 

"But isn't it bad for Satomi?"

Nobuaki sat up and declared.

"This is the end of the game. No more King's games tomorrow! What happened to Yuuko yesterday won't happen again."

"Yeah! I agree."

'''----------'''

The next day, the two of them arrived at school a bit earlier than usual. When they arrived at the classroom, Hideki was already sitting on the teacher's desk as if waiting for his classmates' arrival.

When he saw them coming in, he waved to them.

"Good morning!" Hideki welcomed them with a smile; a smile that betrayed his underlying intention.

"Why did you come to school so early today?"

Hideki grinned.

"Because I'm so motivated today! The command today is for me to [touch Satomi's breast]! I didn't really want to play this game actually, but I can't disobey the King's command. So there!"

Seeing him in such high spirits, Nobuaki was startled.

"Isn't this too going too far? The King's game already scared Yuuko to tears yesterday."

"What!? Yesterday was a nightmare for me! But tonight I'll sleep well."

Listening to his exhilarated tone, Nobuaki, who could not help but feel sad, sighed.

"Say, when will the King's Game end?"

"Until the King stops sending messages!"

"Are you nuts? Stop playing. I thought that it was funny at first, but, when I saw Yuuko yesterday..."

"Who cares!"

"Cut the crap! What if you received a command that made you scared? What would you do then?"

"We'll see then!"

Their classmates came in one by one while they were talking.

"You're so stubborn! You breast-maniac!"

"Yeah I am. So what?"

There was no way Nobuaki could persuade him otherwise.

"When will Satomi come?"

"Oh dear. You're helpless. Satomi might as well skip the whole day."

The other classmates seemed to be looking forward to the King's Game today.

Hideki shouted in the classroom.

"The King's command is absolute!"

Speechless, Nobuaki said nothing and returned to his seat to wait for Satomi.

10 minutes passed and she had not shown up. It was already time for the morning assembly.

The teacher entered the classroom and stood before the desk, saying, "Ishii Satomi is sick today. She will be absent so that she can recuperate at home."

Hideki kicked away his chair and stood up abruptly.

"Don't play with me! She must be pretending to be sick!"

Annoyed by the outburst, the teacher sternly reprimanded him, "What are you doing?! Sit down and be quiet!"

Hideki fixed his chair, and at his wit's end, sat on it unwillingly.

"I'm sorry. Is this all right..."

After the morning assembly, Mami ran to his side and with his voice dripping with sarcasm, said, "That's too bad! You were so excited for today that you came to school early! Did Satomi escape your grasp? I think she must hate you. No girl would ever let you touch her breasts!"

"Mind your own business!"

Meanwhile, Nobuaki was whispering to Chiemi.

"Do you think Satomi pretended to be sick?"

"Definitely! She wouldn't want to be touched by that guy. Poor girl."

Nothing special happened that day.

Normally, the Ousama Game (Kings Game) is played by five to six friends. Now Nobuaki's entire class, consisting of 32 people, is in the game, which is a bit too many players.

Back home, Nobuaki went into his room and sprawled on the blankets for a while.

"Fuuu~ I'm so tired today."

Having thought of something, he quickly got up to retrieve his phone from his school bag. He quick checked for new messages and then he phoned Hideki.

"Hideki? Hello?"

A lot of noise was on the other side of the phone so he could not hear what Hideki was saying.

"What...do you...want?"

"Hey! Did you run off to play Pachinko<ref>Pachinko (パチンコ?) is a mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming.</ref>? I can hear the sounds of shuffling tiles<ref>Tiles are dealt in Mahjong. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan).</ref>. Highschoolers shouldn't go play Pachinko! You idiot! I'm hanging up!"

Nobuaki turned off his phone and threw it on top of his blanket. Because he didn't receive the [obedience confirmed] message, he wanted to ask Hideki whether he had followed the command or not. He could not imagine that Hideki had already gone nuts and ignored it completely. Forget it—he thought—I don't care anymore.

After some time, he opened his eyes and stared at the clock—it was already 11:30 p.m.

"Dammit! I've slept too long! Why didn't mum wake me up?"

Midnight would arrive in 10 minutes. Would the King still send a message now? He took out his phone.

[1 Message]

"Mmm? Who sent it? The King's message should be sent at midnight at 00:00."

He opened the message to take a look.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:55
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 5 Minutes Left.
*END]

"What? What is 5 minutes left? Does it mean that today will end in five minutes?"

He lay on the blanket, holding his phone and staring at its screen.

Then another message came.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:59
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 60 Seconds Left.
*END]

Huh? This is the first time I'd seen this message, Nobuaki thought back. In the messages the King sent before, the King mentioned that [the King's command must be done within 24 hours], so would this be... a countdown timer?

He wanted to look at what was written in yesterday's message, but before he could press the button, he received another message.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:59
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Because the King's command was not carried out, the following people will be hung by the neck as a punishment: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki and Student Number 3 Ishii Satomi
*END]

"What's going on? What's this message about?! The punishment of Hideki and Satomi is to be 'hung by the neck'? What does this mean?"

<noinclude>
===Translation Notes===

<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2|Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 4|Command 4 [Thursday, 22 October 00:00]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3

2013-09-15T21:47:23Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35] */

==Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]==

<After School>

After the lessons, as Nobuki was packing up his textbooks and notes, he said to Chiemi,

"Let's go!"

"Right! I haven't gone to your place for some time now. I'm really looking forward to it."

When they got to the door, Nobuaki bowed deeply and welcomed Chiemi like a housekeeper.

"Welcome to my humble abode, princess."

"Hey! Thats rude! I've been here a lot of times already. There's no need to do this anymore."

"Hey, Chiemi, long time no see! Are you coming to play today?" Nobuaki's mum asked.

"Long time no see, Ma'am. Yeah, I'm coming over to play."

"Do you want me to bring your dinner to Nobuaki's room?"

"Huh! Wouldn't that be too troublesome?"

Having heard what Nobuaki's mum had said, Chiemi rubbed her hands joyfully.

"No it wouldn't be troublesome! I will bring it up in a bit."

"Thanks, ma'am!"

The two of them talked while Nobuaki took off his shoes.

"Ah, Chiemi, it's wonderful that you can stay over tonight."

"Is it?! It's gratifying to hear you say so."

Nobuaki and Chiemi kept playing video games till dinner. After dinner, they did a bit of their homework and slipped into their sleeping bags. At that moment, both of their cell phones rang.

Nobuaki poked his head out of the blanket and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was midnight. He turned to look at Chiemi and his eyes met hers.

"Is it the King's message again?"

"I'm afraid so..."

"Do we still have to play? This is such a stupid game! What is it this time?!"

He crawled out of the sleeping bag and took a look at the message on his phone.

*[10/21 Wednesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class is participating. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 3: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(M) and Student Number 3 Ishii Satomi(F)—Toyoda Hideki will touch Ishii Satomi's breast.
*END]

"Is this for real..."

Nobuaki's eyes met Chiemi's again.

"Hideki is chosen again. But this time, Hideki..."

"-will be delighted, right?"

"Yeah... Although Satomi isn't beautiful, but she sure is cute, right?"

"Yes, she's cute."

Nobuaki lay on his sleeping blanket and read the message again.

"Hideki will be happy to follow the command—this must be the King's plan to make us continue playing the game!" 

"But isn't it bad for Satomi?"

Nobuaki sat up and declared.

"This is the end of the game. No more King's games tomorrow! What happened to Yuuko yesterday won't happen again."

"Yeah! I agree."

'''----------'''

The next day, the two of them arrived at school a bit earlier than usual. When they arrived at the classroom, Hideki was already sitting on the teacher's desk as if waiting for his classmates' arrival.

When he saw them coming in, he waved to them.

"Good morning!" Hideki welcomed them with a smile; a smile that betrayed his underlying intention.

"Why did you come to school so early today?"

Hideki grinned.

"Because I'm so motivated today! The command today is for me to [touch Satomi's breast]! I didn't really want to play this game actually, but I can't disobey the King's command. So there!"

Seeing him in such high spirits, Nobuaki was startled.

"Isn't this too going too far? The King's game already scared Yuuko to tears yesterday."

"What!? Yesterday was a nightmare for me! But tonight I'll sleep well."

Listening to his exhilarated tone, Nobuaki, who could not help but feel sad, sighed.

"Say, when will the King's Game end?"

"Until the King stops sending messages!"

"Are you nuts? Stop playing. I thought that it was funny at first, but, when I saw Yuuko yesterday..."

"Who cares!"

"Cut the crap! What if you received a command that made you scared? What would you do then?"

"We'll see then!"

Their classmates came in one by one while they were talking.

"You're so stubborn! You breast-maniac!"

"Yeah I am. So what?"

There was no way Nobuaki could persuade him otherwise.

"When will Satomi come?"

"Oh dear. You're helpless. Satomi might as well skip the whole day."

The other classmates seemed to be looking forward to the King's Game today.

Hideki shouted in the classroom.

"The King's command is absolute!"

Speechless, Nobuaki said nothing and returned to his seat to wait for Satomi.

10 minutes passed and she had not shown up. It was already time for the morning assembly.

The teacher entered the classroom and stood before the desk, saying, "Ishii Satomi is sick today. She will be absent so that she can recuperate at home."

Hideki kicked away his chair and stood up abruptly.

"Don't play with me! She must be pretending to be sick!"

Annoyed by the outburst, the teacher sternly reprimanded him, "What are you doing?! Sit down and be quiet!"

Hideki fixed his chair, and at his wit's end, sat on it unwillingly.

"I'm sorry. Is this all right..."

After the morning assembly, Mami ran to his side and with his voice dripping with sarcasm, said, "That's too bad! You were so excited for today that you came to school early! Did Satomi escape your grasp? I think she must hate you. No girl would ever let you touch her breasts!"

"Mind your own business!"

Meanwhile, Nobuaki was whispering to Chiemi.

"Do you think Satomi pretended to be sick?"

"Definitely! She wouldn't want to be touched by that guy. Poor girl."

Nothing special happened that day.

Normally, the Ousama Game (Kings Game) is played by five to six friends. Now Nobuaki's entire class, consisting of 32 people, is in the game, which is a bit too many players.

Back home, Nobuaki went into his room and sprawled on the blankets for a while.

"Fuuu~ I'm so tired today."

Having thought of something, he quickly got up to retrieve his phone from his school bag. He quick checked for new messages and then he phoned Hideki.

"Hideki? Hello?"

A lot of noise was on the other side of the phone so he could not hear what Hideki was saying.

"What...do you...want?"

"Hey! Did you run off to play Pachinko<ref>Pachinko (パチンコ?) is a mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming.</ref>? I can hear the sounds of shuffling tiles<ref>Tiles are dealt in Mahjong. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan).</ref>. Highschoolers shouldn't go play Pachinko! You idiot! I'm hanging up!"

Nobuaki turned off his phone and threw it on top of his blanket. Because he didn't receive the [obedience confirmed] message, he wanted to ask Hideki whether he had followed the command or not. He could not imagine that Hideki had already gone nuts and ignored it completely. Forget it—he thought—I don't care anymore.

After some time, he opened his eyes and stared at the clock—it was already 11:30 p.m.

"Dammit! I've slept too long! Why didn't mum wake me up?"

Midnight would arrive in 10 minutes. Would the King still send a message now? He took out his phone.

[1 Message]

"Mmm? Who sent it? The King's message should be sent at midnight at 00:00."

He opened the message to take a look.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:55
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 5 Minutes Left.
*END]

"What? What is 5 minutes left? Does it mean that today will end in five minutes?"

He lay on the blanket, holding his phone and staring at its screen.

Then another message came.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:59
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': 60 Seconds Left.
*END]

Huh? This is the first time I'd seen this message, Nobuaki thought back. In the messages the King sent before, the King mentioned that [the King's command must be done within 24 hours], so would this be... a countdown timer?

He wanted to look at what was written in yesterday's message, but before he could press the button, he received another message.

*[10/21 Wednesday 23:59
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Because the King's command was not carried out, the following people will be hung by the neck as a punishment: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki and Student Number 3 Ishii Satomi
*END]

"What's going on? What's this message about?! The punishment of Hideki and Satomi is to be 'hung by the neck'? What does this mean?"

<noinclude>
===Translation Notes===

<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2|Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 4|Command 4 [Thursday, 22 October 00:00]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2

2013-09-15T21:36:22Z

GoldenFyre:

==Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]==

Back home, Nobuaki had dinner with his parents.

Laughing at his favourite television shows, spending some time to do homework, and laughing while he read mangas, he spent his night as per usual, but the only difference was...

*[10/20 Tuesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game which everyone in your class is participating in. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 2: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(M) and Student Number 5 Imoto Yuuko(F)—Toyoda Hideki will lick Imoto Yuuko's foot.
*END]

Just about to sleep, Nobuaki got up in a flurry when he read the message.

"Again?! But it's totally impossible for Hideki to lick Yuuko's foot."

At this very moment, Naoya phoned him. He seemed to be very excited, "Nobuaki, have you read the King's message yet?"

"Yeah, I read it! It's comforting news that the person who will do licking isn't you."

"Yeah...But this isn't why I called you. Do you really think Hideki will lick Yuuko's foot?

"Absolutely not! If it's Hideki, it's impossible," Nobuaki replied undoubtedly.

"Perhaps he would. Are you anticipating tomorrow like me?"

"Yeah. So, let's see the show tomorrow!"

"Cool!"

< The next morning >

The quarreling sounds got louder as Nobuaki approached the classroom. He hurried in and saw a few students arguing with Hideki.

"Why do I have to lick Yuuko's gross foot!"

"But yesterday you also forced Hirofumi and Minako to kiss!"

Minako also joined the debate, "Yesterday Hirofumi and I followed the command and kissed, so you will also have to follow the command!"

Hideki could not hold back and exploded in anger. He angrily kicked away a chair, "Shut up! Hey! Hirofumi, what do you think? Do you think I will also need to follow the command and lick Yuuko's foot?"

Hirofumi showed a sign of compliance, but he was reluctant to speak. On the other side, Mami walked in front of him as if protecting him, and said, "What does this have to do with Hirofumi!"

"What about it? Tell me, Hirofumi."

"Let me answer for him! Just go and lick it!"

"I'm not asking you! Shut up!"

Mami suddenly clapped and shouted as if trying to make the class say with her, "Lick it! Lick it! Lick it!"

Half of the students in the class also followed her. Looking like he had resigned and was in a bad mood, Hideki called Yuuko to him, "I can't stand you guys. I'll lick it if you want! Yuuko, hurry up."

Hearing Hideki's loud voice, Yuuko walked to him, trembling.

"Hideki... Are you calling me?"

"This is the King's command, right? I want to lick your foot, so quickly bring it out!" Hideki said to her with a threatening tone.

"Why should I..."

"This is the King's command! Now hurry up and stretch out your foot!"

Yuuko, with trembling lips, took off her shoe and sock. Meanwhile, Hideki looked at the people around him.

"Look closely!"

He kneeled down, lifted up Yuuko's leg, and licked its lower part. Everyone who was enjoying the scene was startled. Then, Hideki stood up, looked around, and said angrily, "Is this good enough? Are you satisfied? Now stop playing the King's game today. It's over! I will never play it again!"

Hideki glared at his classmates; meanwhile, Yuuko fell on the floor and started crying. Chiemi quickly ran to her side and comforted her with a soft voice, "Yuuko, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

On the other side of the classroom, the front, Hideki started quarrelling with Mami.

"You're disgusting! I can't believe you really licked Yuuko's foot."

"Mami, you're annoying! I spoke too soon, so let me correct myself! The game will continue until you've been chosen. You have to have a taste of this humiliation."

"What nonsense!"

"Who is it? Who's the one sending all those messages?! It must be someone here, right?"

Hideki walked around the classroom and inspected each of his classmates with his eyes glaring; of course, he also glared at Nobuaki and Naoya.

"Naoya! Is it you?"

"Of course not!"

"Nobuaki! Is it you?"

"How can it be me!?"

"If someone dares to command me again, I'm going to kill them!"

Hideki angrily pushed a table away and rushed out of the classroom.

"Is Yuuko okay? She looks like she's crying."

Nobuaki rushed to Yuuko who was now being stroked lightly on the back and comforted by Chiemi.

"Are you scared? It's over now."

Nobuaki didn't feel that he was in the mood for watching comedies; he knew he had better make his position clear.

"Hey, Yuuko, are you okay?" He asked.

"She seems to have calmed down. And please don't play any more of that King's Game."

"Yeah, even Hideki suffered. Without his help, the game couldn't run successfully! Cheer up, Yuuko! The game is now over."

All of a sudden, Chiemi turned her head and asked Nobuaki, "Right! Can I stay over at your house today?"

"Why so sudden? Never mind, fine. Even though we haven't been together for a while?"

"Haven't we gone out for a long time already!"

Chiemi was actually Nobuaki's girlfriend.

The atmosphere of the classroom had calmed, hugely different from a moment ago. At this moment, Yuuko took out her phone to check a message that had just arrived. After a glance, she screamed sharply "Waa!" and threw away her phone.

Nobuaki picked up her phone and looked at the message on it.

*[10/20 Tuesday 08:19
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*End]

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1|Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2

2013-09-15T21:32:52Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00] */

==Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]==

Back home, Nobuaki had dinner with his parents.

Laughing at his favourite television shows, spending some time to do homework, and laughing while he read mangas, he spent his night as per usual, but the only difference was...

*[10/20 Tuesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game which everyone in your class is participating in. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 2: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(M) and Student Number 5 Imoto Yuuko(F)—Toyoda Hideki will lick Imoto Yuuko's foot.
*END]

Just about to sleep, Nobuaki got up in a flurry when he read the message.

"Again?! But it's totally impossible for Hideki to lick Yuuko's foot."

At this very moment, Naoya phoned him. He seemed to be very excited, "Nobuaki, have you read the King's message yet?"

"Yeah, I read it! It's comforting news that the person who will do licking isn't you."

"Yeah...But this isn't why I called you. Do you really think Hideki will lick Yuuko's foot?

"Absolutely not! If it's Hideki, it's impossible," Nobuaki replied undoubtedly.

"Perhaps he would. Are you anticipating tomorrow like me?"

"Yeah. So, let's see the show tomorrow!"

"Cool!"

< The next morning >

The quarreling sounds got louder as Nobuaki approached the classroom. He hurried in and saw a few students arguing with Hideki.

"Why do I have to lick Yuuko's gross foot!"

"But yesterday you also forced Hirofumi and Minako to kiss!"

Minako also joined the debate, "Yesterday Hirofumi and I followed the command and kissed, so you will also have to follow the command!"

Hideki could not hold back and exploded in anger. He angrily kicked away a chair, "Shut up! Hey! Hirofumi, what do you think? Do you think I will also need to follow the command and lick Yuuko's foot?"

Hirofumi showed a sign of compliance, but he was reluctant to speak. On the other side, Mami walked in front of him as if protecting him, and said, "What does this have to do with Hirofumi!"

"What about it? Tell me, Hirofumi."

"Let me answer for him! Just go and lick it!"

"I'm not asking you! Shut up!"

Mami suddenly clapped and shouted as if trying to make the class say with her, "Lick it! Lick it! Lick it!"

Half of the students in the class also followed her. Looking like he had resigned and was in a bad mood, Hideki called Yuuko to him, "I can't stand you guys. I'll lick it if you want! Yuuko, hurry up."

Hearing Hideki's loud voice, Yuuko walked to him, trembling.

"Hideki... Are you calling me?"

"This is the King's command, right? I want to lick your foot, so quickly bring it out!" Hideki said to her with a threatening tone.

"Why should I..."

"This is the King's command! Now hurry up and stretch out your foot!"

Yuuko, with trembling lips, took off her shoe and sock. Meanwhile, Hideki looked at the people around him.

"Look closely!"

He kneeled down, lifted up Yuuko's leg, and licked its lower part. Everyone who was enjoying the scene was startled. Then, Hideki stood up, looked around, and said angrily, "Is this good enough? Are you satisfied? Now stop playing the King's game today. It's over! I will never play it again!"

Hideki glared at his classmates; meanwhile, Yuuko fell on the floor and started crying. Chiemi quickly ran to her side and comforted her with a soft voice, "Yuuko, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

On the other side of the classroom, the front, Hideki started quarrelling with Mami.

"You're disgusting! I can't believe you really licked Yuuko's foot."

"Mami, you're annoying! I spoke too soon, so let me correct myself! The game will continue until you've been chosen. You have to have a taste of this humiliation."

"What nonsense!"

"Who is it? Who's the one sending all those messages?! It must be someone here, right?"

Hideki walked around the classroom and inspected each of his classmates with his eyes glaring; of course, he also glared at Nobuaki and Naoya.

"Naoya! Is it you?"

"Of course not!"

"Nobuaki! Is it you?"

"How can it be me!?"

"If someone dares to command me again, I'm going to kill them!"

Hideki angrily pushed a table away and rushed out of the classroom.

"Is Yuuko okay? She looks like she's crying."

Nobuaki rushed to Yuuko who was now being stroked lightly on the back and comforted by Chiemi.

"Are you scared? It's over now."

Nobuaki didn't feel that he was in the mood for watching comedies; he knew he had better make his position clear.

"Hey, Yuuko, are you okay?" He asked.

"She seems to have calmed down. And please don't play any more of that King's Game."

"Yeah, even Hideki suffered. Without his help, the game couldn't run successfully! Cheer up, Yuuko! The game is now over."

All of a sudden, Chiemi turned her head and asked Nobuaki, "Right! Can I stay over at your house today?"

"Why so sudden? Okay, fine. We haven't been together for a while!"

"We haven't gone out for a long time already!"

Chiemi was actually Nobuaki's girlfriend.

The atmosphere of the classroom had calmed, hugely different from a moment ago. At this moment, Yuuko took out her phone to check a message that had just arrived. After a glance, she screamed sharply "Waa!" and threw away her phone.

Nobuaki picked up her phone and looked at the message on it.

*[10/20 Tuesday 08:19
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*End]

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1|Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2

2013-09-15T21:32:03Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00] */

==Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]==

Back home, Nobuaki had dinner with his parents.

Laughing at his favourite television shows, spending some time to do homework, and laughing while he read mangas, he spent his night as per usual, but the only difference was...

*[10/20 Tuesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game which everyone in your class is participating in. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 2: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(m) and Student Number 5 Imoto Yuuko(f)—Toyoda Hideki will lick Imoto Yuuko's foot.
*END]

Just about to sleep, Nobuaki got up in a flurry when he read the message.

"Again?! But it's totally impossible for Hideki to lick Yuuko's foot."

At this very moment, Naoya phoned him. He seemed to be very excited, "Nobuaki, have you read the King's message yet?"

"Yeah, I read it! It's comforting news that the person who will do licking isn't you."

"Yeah...But this isn't why I called you. Do you really think Hideki will lick Yuuko's foot?

"Absolutely not! If it's Hideki, it's impossible," Nobuaki replied undoubtedly.

"Perhaps he would. Are you anticipating tomorrow like me?"

"Yeah. So, let's see the show tomorrow!"

"Cool!"

< The next morning >

The quarreling sounds got louder as Nobuaki approached the classroom. He hurried in and saw a few students arguing with Hideki.

"Why do I have to lick Yuuko's gross foot!"

"But yesterday you also forced Hirofumi and Minako to kiss!"

Minako also joined the debate, "Yesterday Hirofumi and I followed the command and kissed, so you will also have to follow the command!"

Hideki could not hold back and exploded in anger. He angrily kicked away a chair, "Shut up! Hey! Hirofumi, what do you think? Do you think I will also need to follow the command and lick Yuuko's foot?"

Hirofumi showed a sign of compliance, but he was reluctant to speak. On the other side, Mami walked in front of him as if protecting him, and said, "What does this have to do with Hirofumi!"

"What about it? Tell me, Hirofumi."

"Let me answer for him! Just go and lick it!"

"I'm not asking you! Shut up!"

Mami suddenly clapped and shouted as if trying to make the class say with her, "Lick it! Lick it! Lick it!"

Half of the students in the class also followed her. Looking like he had resigned and was in a bad mood, Hideki called Yuuko to him, "I can't stand you guys. I'll lick it if you want! Yuuko, hurry up."

Hearing Hideki's loud voice, Yuuko walked to him, trembling.

"Hideki... Are you calling me?"

"This is the King's command, right? I want to lick your foot, so quickly bring it out!" Hideki said to her with a threatening tone.

"Why should I..."

"This is the King's command! Now hurry up and stretch out your foot!"

Yuuko, with trembling lips, took off her shoe and sock. Meanwhile, Hideki looked at the people around him.

"Look closely!"

He kneeled down, lifted up Yuuko's leg, and licked its lower part. Everyone who was enjoying the scene was startled. Then, Hideki stood up, looked around, and said angrily, "Is this good enough? Are you satisfied? Now stop playing the King's game today. It's over! I will never play it again!"

Hideki glared at his classmates; meanwhile, Yuuko fell on the floor and started crying. Chiemi quickly ran to her side and comforted her with a soft voice, "Yuuko, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

On the other side of the classroom, the front, Hideki started quarrelling with Mami.

"You're disgusting! I can't believe you really licked Yuuko's foot."

"Mami, you're annoying! I spoke too soon, so let me correct myself! The game will continue until you've been chosen. You have to have a taste of this humiliation."

"What nonsense!"

"Who is it? Who's the one sending all those messages?! It must be someone here, right?"

Hideki walked around the classroom and inspected each of his classmates with his eyes glaring; of course, he also glared at Nobuaki and Naoya.

"Naoya! Is it you?"

"Of course not!"

"Nobuaki! Is it you?"

"How can it be me!?"

"If someone dares to command me again, I'm going to kill them!"

Hideki angrily pushed a table away and rushed out of the classroom.

"Is Yuuko okay? She looks like she's crying."

Nobuaki rushed to Yuuko who was now being stroked lightly on the back and comforted by Chiemi.

"Are you scared? It's over now."

Nobuaki didn't feel that he was in the mood for watching comedies; he knew he had better make his position clear.

"Hey, Yuuko, are you okay?" He asked.

"She seems to have calmed down. And please don't play any more of that King's Game."

"Yeah, even Hideki suffered. Without his help, the game couldn't run successfully! Cheer up, Yuuko! The game is now over."

All of a sudden, Chiemi turned her head and asked Nobuaki, "Right! Can I stay over at your house today?"

"Why so sudden? Okay, fine. We haven't been together for a while!"

"We haven't gone out for a long time already!"

Chiemi was actually Nobuaki's girlfriend.

The atmosphere of the classroom had calmed, hugely different from a moment ago. At this moment, Yuuko took out her phone to check a message that had just arrived. After a glance, she screamed sharply "Waa!" and threw away her phone.

Nobuaki picked up her phone and looked at the message on it.

*[10/20 Tuesday 08:19
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*End]

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1|Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2

2013-09-15T21:31:47Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00] */

==Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]==

Back home, Nobuaki had dinner with his parents.

Laughing at his favourite television shows, spending some time to do homework, and laughing while he read mangas, he spent his night as per usual, but the only difference was...

*[10/20 Tuesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game which everyone in your class is participating in. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
＊Command 2: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(m) and Student Number 5 Imoto Yuuko(f)—Toyoda Hideki will lick Imoto Yuuko's foot.
*END]

Just about to sleep, Nobuaki got up in a flurry when he read the message.

"Again?! But it's totally impossible for Hideki to lick Yuuko's foot."

At this very moment, Naoya phoned him. He seemed to be very excited, "Nobuaki, have you read the King's message yet?"

"Yeah, I read it! It's comforting news that the person who will do licking isn't you."

"Yeah...But this isn't why I called you. Do you really think Hideki will lick Yuuko's foot?

"Absolutely not! If it's Hideki, it's impossible," Nobuaki replied undoubtedly.

"Perhaps he would. Are you anticipating tomorrow like me?"

"Yeah. So, let's see the show tomorrow!"

"Cool!"

< The next morning >

The quarreling sounds got louder as Nobuaki approached the classroom. He hurried in and saw a few students arguing with Hideki.

"Why do I have to lick Yuuko's gross foot!"

"But yesterday you also forced Hirofumi and Minako to kiss!"

Minako also joined the debate, "Yesterday Hirofumi and I followed the command and kissed, so you will also have to follow the command!"

Hideki could not hold back and exploded in anger. He angrily kicked away a chair, "Shut up! Hey! Hirofumi, what do you think? Do you think I will also need to follow the command and lick Yuuko's foot?"

Hirofumi showed a sign of compliance, but he was reluctant to speak. On the other side, Mami walked in front of him as if protecting him, and said, "What does this have to do with Hirofumi!"

"What about it? Tell me, Hirofumi."

"Let me answer for him! Just go and lick it!"

"I'm not asking you! Shut up!"

Mami suddenly clapped and shouted as if trying to make the class say with her, "Lick it! Lick it! Lick it!"

Half of the students in the class also followed her. Looking like he had resigned and was in a bad mood, Hideki called Yuuko to him, "I can't stand you guys. I'll lick it if you want! Yuuko, hurry up."

Hearing Hideki's loud voice, Yuuko walked to him, trembling.

"Hideki... Are you calling me?"

"This is the King's command, right? I want to lick your foot, so quickly bring it out!" Hideki said to her with a threatening tone.

"Why should I..."

"This is the King's command! Now hurry up and stretch out your foot!"

Yuuko, with trembling lips, took off her shoe and sock. Meanwhile, Hideki looked at the people around him.

"Look closely!"

He kneeled down, lifted up Yuuko's leg, and licked its lower part. Everyone who was enjoying the scene was startled. Then, Hideki stood up, looked around, and said angrily, "Is this good enough? Are you satisfied? Now stop playing the King's game today. It's over! I will never play it again!"

Hideki glared at his classmates; meanwhile, Yuuko fell on the floor and started crying. Chiemi quickly ran to her side and comforted her with a soft voice, "Yuuko, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

On the other side of the classroom, the front, Hideki started quarrelling with Mami.

"You're disgusting! I can't believe you really licked Yuuko's foot."

"Mami, you're annoying! I spoke too soon, so let me correct myself! The game will continue until you've been chosen. You have to have a taste of this humiliation."

"What nonsense!"

"Who is it? Who's the one sending all those messages?! It must be someone here, right?"

Hideki walked around the classroom and inspected each of his classmates with his eyes glaring; of course, he also glared at Nobuaki and Naoya.

"Naoya! Is it you?"

"Of course not!"

"Nobuaki! Is it you?"

"How can it be me!?"

"If someone dares to command me again, I'm going to kill them!"

Hideki angrily pushed a table away and rushed out of the classroom.

"Is Yuuko okay? She looks like she's crying."

Nobuaki rushed to Yuuko who was now being stroked lightly on the back and comforted by Chiemi.

"Are you scared? It's over now."

Nobuaki didn't feel that he was in the mood for watching comedies; he knew he had better make his position clear.

"Hey, Yuuko, are you okay?" He asked.

"She seems to have calmed down. And please don't play any more of that King's Game."

"Yeah, even Hideki suffered. Without his help, the game couldn't run successfully! Cheer up, Yuuko! The game is now over."

All of a sudden, Chiemi turned her head and asked Nobuaki, "Right! Can I stay over at your house today?"

"Why so sudden? Okay, fine. We haven't been together for a while!"

"We haven't gone out for a long time already!"

Chiemi was actually Nobuaki's girlfriend.

The atmosphere of the classroom had calmed, hugely different from a moment ago. At this moment, Yuuko took out her phone to check a message that had just arrived. After a glance, she screamed sharply "Waa!" and threw away her phone.

Nobuaki picked up her phone and looked at the message on it.

*[10/20 Tuesday 08:19
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*End]

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1|Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2

2013-09-15T21:30:59Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00] */

==Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]==

Back home, Nobuaki had dinner with his parents.

Laughing at his favourite television shows, spending some time to do homework, and laughing while he read mangas, he spent his night as per usual, but the only difference was...

*[10/20 Tuesday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game which everyone in your class is participating in. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 2: Student Number 18 Toyoda Hideki(m) and Student Number 5 Imoto Yuuko(f)—Toyoda Hideki will lick Imoto Yuuko's foot.
*END]

Just about to sleep, Nobuaki got up in a flurry when he read the message.

"Again?! But it's totally impossible for Hideki to lick Yuuko's foot."

At this very moment, Naoya phoned him. He seemed to be very excited, "Nobuaki, have you read the King's message yet?"

"Yeah, I read it! It's comforting news that the person who will do licking isn't you."

"Yeah...But this isn't why I called you. Do you really think Hideki will lick Yuuko's foot?

"Absolutely not! If it's Hideki, it's impossible," Nobuaki replied undoubtedly.

"Perhaps he would. Are you anticipating tomorrow like me?"

"Yeah. So, let's see the show tomorrow!"

"Cool!"

< The next morning >

The quarreling sounds got louder as Nobuaki approached the classroom. He hurried in and saw a few students arguing with Hideki.

"Why do I have to lick Yuuko's gross foot!"

"But yesterday you also forced Hirofumi and Minako to kiss!"

Minako also joined the debate, "Yesterday Hirofumi and I followed the command and kissed, so you will also have to follow the command!"

Hideki could not hold back and exploded in anger. He angrily kicked away a chair, "Shut up! Hey! Hirofumi, what do you think? Do you think I will also need to follow the command and lick Yuuko's foot?"

Hirofumi showed a sign of compliance, but he was reluctant to speak. On the other side, Mami walked in front of him as if protecting him, and said, "What does this have to do with Hirofumi!"

"What about it? Tell me, Hirofumi."

"Let me answer for him! Just go and lick it!"

"I'm not asking you! Shut up!"

Mami suddenly clapped and shouted as if trying to make the class say with her, "Lick it! Lick it! Lick it!"

Half of the students in the class also followed her. Looking like he had resigned and was in a bad mood, Hideki called Yuuko to him, "I can't stand you guys. I'll lick it if you want! Yuuko, hurry up."

Hearing Hideki's loud voice, Yuuko walked to him, trembling.

"Hideki... Are you calling me?"

"This is the King's command, right? I want to lick your foot, so quickly bring it out!" Hideki said to her with a threatening tone.

"Why should I..."

"This is the King's command! Now hurry up and stretch out your foot!"

Yuuko, with trembling lips, took off her shoe and sock. Meanwhile, Hideki looked at the people around him.

"Look closely!"

He kneeled down, lifted up Yuuko's leg, and licked its lower part. Everyone who was enjoying the scene was startled. Then, Hideki stood up, looked around, and said angrily, "Is this good enough? Are you satisfied? Now stop playing the King's game today. It's over! I will never play it again!"

Hideki glared at his classmates; meanwhile, Yuuko fell on the floor and started crying. Chiemi quickly ran to her side and comforted her with a soft voice, "Yuuko, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

On the other side of the classroom, the front, Hideki started quarrelling with Mami.

"You're disgusting! I can't believe you really licked Yuuko's foot."

"Mami, you're annoying! I spoke too soon, so let me correct myself! The game will continue until you've been chosen. You have to have a taste of this humiliation."

"What nonsense!"

"Who is it? Who's the one sending all those messages?! It must be someone here, right?"

Hideki walked around the classroom and inspected each of his classmates with his eyes glaring; of course, he also glared at Nobuaki and Naoya.

"Naoya! Is it you?"

"Of course not!"

"Nobuaki! Is it you?"

"How can it be me!?"

"If someone dares to command me again, I'm going to kill them!"

Hideki angrily pushed a table away and rushed out of the classroom.

"Is Yuuko okay? She looks like she's crying."

Nobuaki rushed to Yuuko who was now being stroked lightly on the back and comforted by Chiemi.

"Are you scared? It's over now."

Nobuaki didn't feel that he was in the mood for watching comedies; he knew he had better make his position clear.

"Hey, Yuuko, are you okay?" He asked.

"She seems to have calmed down. And please don't play any more of that King's Game."

"Yeah, even Hideki suffered. Without his help, the game couldn't run successfully! Cheer up, Yuuko! The game is now over."

All of a sudden, Chiemi turned her head and asked Nobuaki, "Right! Can I stay over at your house today?"

"Why so sudden? Okay, fine. We haven't been together for a while!"

"We haven't gone out for a long time already!"

Chiemi was actually Nobuaki's girlfriend.

The atmosphere of the classroom had calmed, hugely different from a moment ago. At this moment, Yuuko took out her phone to check a message that had just arrived. After a glance, she screamed sharply "Waa!" and threw away her phone.

Nobuaki picked up her phone and looked at the message on it.

*[10/20 Tuesday 08:19
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*End]

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1|Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 3|Command 3 [Tuesday, 20 October 16:35]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 1

2013-09-15T21:27:07Z

GoldenFyre: /* Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00] */

==Command 1 [Monday, 19 October 00:00]==

A phone rings.

"Who the heck is calling me so late at night..."

Nobuaki rolled on the bed to the side of his phone. He picked it up. A message popped up on the phone.

*[10/19 Monday 00:00
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': This is the King's Game in which everyone in your class must participate. The King's command is absolute and must be done within 24 hours. ※ You can not withdraw from the game.
*＊Command 1: Student Number 4 Inoue Hirofumi(M) and Student Number 19 Nakao Minako(F)—the two of you will kiss
*END]

Half asleep, Nobuaki rubbed his eyes as he read the message.

"What the heck is this? Is this a prank? How stupid."

He muted his phone, threw it on top of the pile of clothes on the floor, and returned to his sleep.

The next day, Nobuaki opened the familiar door of a classroom and greeted his classmates.

"Good morning!"

His classmates was standing up and talking in the classroom. Curious, Nobuaki went to them to find out what had happened.

"Hey! What are you doing? Did something fun happen?"

Naoya, standing beside him, asked him,

"What? Didn't you get the King's Game message?"

"Mmm? Oh yeah~ ~ My sleep yesterday was interrupted by that stupid joke."

"Oh, so that means everyone received that message! Everyone thinks that it's really fun, so we're following his command."

"Fun? Are they really going to follow his command?"

Sitting on a desk beside Naoya, Hideki wavered his legs in the air.

"Look! Hirofumi and Minako sure look embarrassed! Gosh, it's only a kiss. Oh, is it their first kiss?"

Mami widened her arms to incite them.

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Hideki shaped his hands into a loudspeaker and shouted.

"The King's commands...?"

"-are absolute!"

Half of the students in the class replied in unison. Embarrassed, Hirofumi approached Hideki and poked him.

"Hideki, do you want to try it yourself? It's embarrassing!"

While on the other side, Minako crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped the floor with her left foot, waiting impatiently.

"Oi! Why are you making a girl like me wait? You're such a wimp."

"W-What are you saying! I'm no wimp! What's so great about kissing? Fine, let's kiss."

Hirofumi seemed to have gone for broke. After listening to his response, a smile emerged from Hideki and he raised three fingers with his right hand.

"Okay, Hirofumi! Let me count for you!"

"3...2...1...Go!"

"All right!"

Hirofumi pressed his hands on Minako's shoulder and moved his face to her. Then, they kissed in front of everyone.

"Ohoh!"

"Yooo—! Yooo—!"

"Oh~Yeah! Bravo!"

Witnessing their kiss, everyone applauded.

"You're good, Hirofumi!"

Minako, with her arms still crossed over her chest, approached Hirofumi and slapped him at his surprise.

"Ouch!"

Hirofumi covered his cheeks with his hand.

"You suck!"

With that said, Minako turned away and left Hirofumi. Hirofumi walked to Hideki's side with a face filled with tears.

"Why must I kiss with her?"

"Because this is the King's command. He said that you have to kiss Minako. We can't help it!"

"But this is really..."

"Ahah~ Fun, I say! Will we get another King's message tomorrow?!"

Hideki stood up and left the table. He glimpsed at Hirofumi and returned to his seat.

"They really kissed in front of everyone!" Nobuaki said.

"Yeah...Once Hideki starts the fire, there's no stopping him," Naoya said, nodding.

"So what will we do if we receive another message tomorrow? You may be the next one!"

"Quit the jokes—I'm not that unlucky."

"Maybe you can kiss with Hiroko, the one you secretly love?"

"That would be great!" Flushed, Naoya said blissfully.

"How can that even happen! You dummy!"

"You dare play around with me!" At that, Naoya started chasing Nobuaki around.

"Everyone return to your seats!"

As the teacher entered the classroom, the students quickly returned to their seats.

And then Nobuaki's cell phone received a message.

*[10/19 Monday 08:25
*'''From''': The King
*'''Subject''': The King's Game
*'''Body''': Obedience Confirmed
*END]

After that, what happened: attending class, eating lunch, attending class again, and playing around with schoolmates after school was not much different from a normal school day.

When everyone got back home, they had already forgotten the King's Game they played that morning.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Class Register|Class Register Year 1 Class B]]
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Command 2|Command 2 [Tuesday, 20 October 00:00]]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ousama Game:Volume 1 Rules of the Game

2013-09-15T21:21:55Z

GoldenFyre: /* Rules of the Game */

==Rules of the Game==

1. Everyone in the class is forced to participate.

2. One must obey the command sent by the King within 24 hours.

3. Those who do not obey will be punished.

4. There is absolutely no way to quit the King's game before it ends.

End.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Ousama Game|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ousama Game:Volume 1 Class Register|Class Register Year 1 Class B]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>