Satsuriku no Tenshi:Volume 1 Chapter 5

“Hey, Zack…make sure to kill me after we get out of here, just like you swore to God.”

Ray looks up at Zack as if in prayer as they ride upon the elevator taking them to B3.

As long as we get out of here okay, I’ll be able to get Zack to kill me…

To Ray, that is her last…her only beacon of hope.

“Ya…don’t gotta say that over’n’over again. I get it.” Zack’s voice is intermingled with a sigh as he gazes into the girl’s eyes. Her persistence never ceases to amaze him.

The elevator doors swing open. Ray has to squint her eyes against the dazzling light.

(It’s bright…)

The floors until now were dim and gloomy. This one seems to simply have an excess of light. Looking up at the ceiling reveals that an abundance of fixtures have been installed in it.

“B3, huh. Even though we could just go all the way t’ the top, it’s gotta stop every damn time. I guess we gotta find another elevator,” Zack grumbles irritably.

“That’s right.” With a quiet hum of acknowledgement, Ray steps out of the elevator. In front of them is a wall of iron bars, blocking their path. Gently, she reaches out a hand to fiddle with the door.

(It’s locked…)

Ray’s expression trembles slightly beneath her apathetic face. If this door won’t open, they won’t be able to proceed further.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Zack looks puzzled as he stares at her standing there motionlessly.

“I wonder if you’ll understand even if I tell you…probably not.”

“Ah?! Just say it anyway, ya don’t know if I’ll get it or not!”

“All right. …This door is locked,” Ray answers quietly.

“Uh, I might be an idiot, but even I know that.” Though she likely had no ill intent, Zack’s lips curve slightly at her words.

“Do you?”

“…Anyway, ain’tcha good at openin’ locked doors? Good luck.” Given yet another cruel response, the man’s lips twist unpleasantly, and he urges her forth, content to leave the work to her.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best…” Ray nods, despite being at an utter loss.

The room they’re locked in together is a little over nine square metres. No matter where she looks, she can’t see anything else in it. It doesn’t look like she’ll be able to find any clues for unlocking the door just by searching.

(I have to be useful to Zack. But, what can I…?)

Ray slips a hand into the purse slung about her shoulders, looking for some kind of tool she might be able to use. Inside – are her sewing tools and something wrapped in a handkerchief.

But, this is…)

Upon suddenly touching that thing, she takes a deep breath.

(I can’t…use this…)

Exhaling slowly, Ray once again uses the handkerchief to cover that thing up with her slender fingers.

“Did ya find something?”

Unable to go on waiting, Zack attempts to peer into her pouch from behind her. A little startled, Ray turns to face him.

“Uh, thread, needle, and – ”

“Oh? Can ya pick the lock with that?” he asks, interrupting her.

“No. And this door doesn’t have a keyhole.” Ray shakes her head softly.

“So there’s no point in havin’ a needle or thread! Move, I’ll smash it open!”

“These are iron bars, so I don’t think you’ll be able to…”

“Shut up. We won’t know ‘till I try it!”

(Ah…)

Paying no heed to Ray’s warnings, Zack vigorously swings his large scythe at the iron bars. But, of course, the door doesn’t move even an inch. All he’s managed to do is cause a small mark.

“Shit, it’s hard!”

His hands grow numb from the recoil.

“…It’s iron.” Ray stares at Zack with an expression as if to say I told you so.

“Then ya shoulda said somethin’ sooner! My hands feel all nasty!”

“…I told you they were iron bars,” Ray says, her voice full of exasperation.

It’s at that moment that, before they can even react, a dazzling beam of red light envelops the room.

“…”

“…What?!”

In contrast to Ray, who stands there in disinterested acceptance of her situation, Zack cautiously looks around the room.

Before long, an ear-piercingly shrill beeping sound resonates around them.

“Hey, get back!”

Coming to his senses, Zack grabs a hold of Ray’s arm, pulling her toward him as he leaps out of the way of the door. He has the feeling he heard a soft noise…like a click from the ceiling, as if something had moved.

And, the next moment, just as he had suspected – a countless number of guns fire at precisely the spot Ray had been standing in.

She feels like her eardrums might rupture. Trembling slightly from the terrible sound, Ray unconsciously presses her face against Zack’s chest for just a moment.

“…Tryin’ t’ make ya into swiss cheese or somethin’…” Zack mutters dumbfoundedly as the guns cease their fire. Turning his gaze up to where the bullets had come from, he sees that numerous firearm muzzles poke out from the ceiling where previously there had been nothing out of the ordinary.

(…Bullets.)

Ray slowly takes a step back from him and takes in a short breath. Her heart is restless. The blue moon from that night faintly comes to mind.

The red light flickers out. Instead, a spotlight so strong the two of them can hardly open their eyes shines upon them.

(It’s bright…)

Ray squints her eyes.

((Ahahahah!))

The shrill, mad laughter of a woman bounces off the walls of the room that still echoes with gunshot fire.

((Hiii! Sorry about the late welcome! You were just so slow that I accidentally took a nap! …But…good job on not dying for now. You pass!))

Even though there is no one else in the room, the walls nearly shake with the forceful sound of loud applause.

(So loud…)

It’s truly unbelievably noisy.

((Especially you, Zack! I wonder just how wonderful your instinct really is! To tell the truth…I’ve thought for quite a while that you would make a splendid sinner. I was all sleepy just a moment ago, but now I’m wide awake!))

(A splendid sinner…?)

The woman simply sounds disparaging to Zack, and it vexes him. He looks toward where her voice seems to come from. But she is nowhere to be seen.

This is because the woman speaks to them through speakers installed all over the floor, elegantly watching them on a large monitor within a room through her surveillance cameras.

“I don’t give a single damn if yer sleepin’ or awake! More importantly, open the damn door already!” Within the spotlight so vibrant it seems it might melt the two of them, Zack snarls out an order and kicks the iron bars.

((Yes, of course. You’ve both passed, so I’ll grant you that boon. But I still haven’t finished putting on my makeup. I was asleep, after all! So how about you prepare to receive your punishment, while I finish up over here?))

“…Hah? Prepare?” Zack’s expression twists in confusion as he listens to the woman speak.

((Yes. Sinners have to take some steps before they can accept their punishment. It just feels better that way, don’t you think? Yes…when you talk of sinners…you obviously need a good mugshot. So go on, chop chop! I’ve left a door open for you.))

After speaking, the woman uses a complicated-looking machine panel to open the door.

“…What’s a mugshot?” Zack asks, looking down at Ray.

Ray opens her mouth to reply, but the woman’s voice rings out as if to interrupt her.

((A picture of your face, Zack. You’ve never had one taken before, have you? How wonderful! I’ll treasure it dearly.))

“…”

Ray stares up at the camera with a displeased expression. Both Zack and she must surely be reflected to that woman through that camera.

((That’s right…Rachel, you too. Make sure you both have your nameplates. If you don’t do as you’re told, you won’t be able to proceed to the next room.))

The woman stares steadily into the monitor as Ray stares back with an utterly unreadable expression. She has no idea what that girl is thinking.

(Rachel…)

Hearing a woman she doesn’t even know say her name feels rather odd.

((Heheh…I am the condemner…oh, you sinful evildoers! I’ll punish you until you’ve been forgiven. Because I am the one who has been permitted to do so!))

The woman speaks rapidly in an enthusiastic voice, as if having been given a part to play. And then the broadcast cuts off.

“…Argh, seriously, what the hell was that?! Her voice is so damn annoyin’, and she just blabbers on about whatever she wants…why the hell do I gotta be punished?! Leave the sleep talk for when yer asleep!” Zack grumbles, clicking his tongue.

“…Sinners…” Ray murmurs to herself, as if unable to hear him.

“Hey, Ray. We don’t got time t’ listen t’ that crazy bitch. Let’s go already.” Huffing out his breath in annoyance, the man proceeds through the door.

“…Yeah.”

(…Sinners…)

People who have committed a sin…

As Ray follows after Zack, that word echoes and whirls over and over within her heart.

▲▽

…Serial killer.

As Ray looks up at Zack’s face as they walk, she suddenly recalls what she had read in his profile.

(Zack’s killed a lot of people…)

“Zack, why did you start killing?:”

“Ah? What’s this all of a sudden?”

“…I’m a bit curious,” Ray says. If she says she’s not truly that interested, it might wind up being a lie. But he doesn’t need to answer. She simply wants to talk – it might not matter about what.

And, the word that woman had said, “sinner”…it still clings to her heart, difficult to dislodge.

“Dunno. But there are tons of worthless people that can be killed, right?” Zack replies as he walks. He’s never really thought deeply about whose life he ends. But, the first time he’d killed someone had probably been because he had thought they would be better off dead than alive.

But since then, I think it’s been different…I just kill ‘cause I want to.

“So you kill those sort of people, Zack…?”

“Not really. I just kill when I want to kill.”

(Because I want to…)

I wonder when he thinks he wants to kill someone…I wish he would think that way about me…

▲▽

The pair walk into the room that had been indicated to them by the woman.

It’s a room exclusively for taking mugshots. The back wall is white with a black border.

(I guess we’re supposed to take a picture in front of this…?)

In front of the wall is a polaroid camera. Beneath it, on the floor, are what appear to be numerous discarded photos, likely taken by that camera.

Ray kneels down to pick them up. All the people in the pictures hold nameplates, probably their own names. And each and every one of them have expressions of despair, as if foreseeing their own deaths.

(I feel like I didn’t see any of these people in the profiles…they might still be alive…)

Where are they…?

Feeling a bit of an uncomfortable chill, the girl stands up and looks around the room. Upon a desk are a set of strings and two white, seemingly blank plates. Quietly picking them up and turning them over reveals that they each have hers and Zack’s full names written upon them. These are likely meant to be hung around their necks.

“…Zack, I think you’re supposed to hang this on your neck,” Ray says, picking up the plate that says Isaac Foster and holding it out to him.

“Yeah.” Not thinking of anything whatsoever, the man takes the plate and hangs it upon himself as she told him to.

“…But…why the hell do I gotta get my picture taken…this is so stupid.” However, he quickly becomes angry at himself, perceiving his actions as bending to that woman’s orders. Having become an adult, he has absolutely no intention of adhering to anyone. But she had said that they wouldn’t be able to go further until they took their mugshots.

“…Haah.” Zack sighs at his situation. All he wants to do is get out of here, but it seems like he’s just being tossed around by each of the other floor masters.

“…Do you not like pictures?” Hearing the sound, Ray turns to ask him this in concern.

“I don’t care. I’ve never taken one or had one taken before. I never wanted to, either.” He sounds like a rebellious teenage boy.

“I see…but, we have to do this if we want to go to the next room.” Ray’s expression is somewhat troubled as she speaks.

(I don’t really want to annoy Zack…)

Though she thinks this, on top of both being sacrifices, it seems that actually getting out of this building is somewhat tricky. There are many traps, perhaps to prevent people from running away. Though she still doesn’t know what sort of system this building operates on, seeing those pictures on the floor makes her believe that they aren’t the only sacrifices here.

“…Argh, shit, I get it! We just have t’ take ‘em, right?!” Cursing angrily, Zack goes to stand in front of the bordered background.

“Yeah…then, I’ll start.” Closing one eye, Ray peers into the camera’s lens.

“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up.”

(Ah, this is annoying…)

Unable to disguise his frustration, Zack fidgets and bounces. It’s difficult for the camera to focus.

“Um…please don’t move. It’s all blurry.” Ray earnestly cautions the man.

“What the hell, why are you so serious?!”

“Yes, like that.”

For an instant, Zack’s frenetic movements cease, and Ray presses the camera’s shutter.

A picture soon emerges from the polaroid camera. And a short while later, Zack’s face appears on the film. Though his expression is displeased, the picture isn’t blurry at all.

(It took a good picture…)

Ray is a bit happy. Somehow, she’s having enough fun to forget that she’s being treated like a criminal.

Putting the picture into her purse, Ray picks up the nameplate with Rachel Gardner written on it and hangs it over her neck. Her movements seem to say that she is enjoying herself.

“Take mine next.”

After speaking to Zack, she walks to stand in front of the white background. Her footsteps are light and cheerful, and don’t match with her cool expression.

“Yeah…so I just push here?” Since this is his first time touching a camera, the man feels somewhat uneasy.

“Yeah.” Ray gives a small nod. So Zack simply presses the button thoughtlessly.

“Ah…”

(He wasn’t even looking into the lens…)

“Heh, I really just had to push the button,” Zack says happily as he investigates the picture the camera prints out. “It’s kinda fun. ‘N easy, too.”

“…But it’s blurry,” Ray complains blankly.

“Aah? Yer the one who told me all I had t’ do was press the button.”

“…”

Ray sinks into silence upon hearing his simple counterargument. She unconsciously begins to pout due to her poor mood.

“Ya got the picture, so it’s fine, right?” the man mumbles, perhaps sensing this.

“Yeah, you’re right…” Ray nods. Though she’d been having fun, they’re only doing this to abide by the woman’s instructions so that they can go to the next room.

“It looks pretty good anyway.” Zack’s expression is rather satisfied as he looks down at the film with Ray’s delicate features. He doesn’t especially like having his picture taken, but taking pictures is unexpectedly fun. And it’s the first time he’s ever touched this sort of machine.

“It’s not.” But Ray quickly shakes her head. After all, the picture is blurry. But perhaps, seeing as she is unable to smile, she wouldn’t have a good picture no matter the situation.

As she’s enveloped in a strange feeling of disappointment, there’s a click in the room – surely the sound of the next door opening.

“Oh, it’s open!”

“Okay.”

Though she doesn’t especially like her own picture, she places it into her pouch as well, and chases after Zack. They proceed to the next room.

▲▽

Opening the door reveals a room with an extremely white, pristine floor. There’s not even a speck of dirt.

(…It looks a bit like the room I woke up in.)

In the centre of the space is a transparent box that almost looks like a shower room. It’s about as large as a telephone booth. Affixed to the entrance is a small plate.

(There’s something written there…)

Drawing nearer to it, Ray scans the mocking message.

You sinners must disinfect those sinful bodies of yours! Make sure to do it properly, or else the next door won’t open~ ♪

She reads aloud in a monotonous voice.

(Did that woman write this…?)

“Disinfect, huh?” Zack’s expression twists in confusion. Being honest, he doesn’t have much of an idea of what that could mean.

“Yeah. It says the next door won’t open until we do.”

“…Another one of these, huh. What are we supposed to do?”

“Maybe we should go inside this thing?” Ray suggests. Though she doesn’t know what to do either, other than “disinfect” herself, the machine in the middle leaves her no other ideas.

“What’s ‘disinfect’?”

“I don’t know…” Ray tilts her head a little. The only thing that comes to mind is something she’s seen in a television drama – a bright light that exterminates bacteria, or something.

“Well, whatever. It’s pointless to stand around here thinking. Let’s finish this.” Zack sighs as he enters the box. It doesn’t sit right with him to do things so slowly.

“Okay.”

Ray enters the machine as well. That next instant, the door locks, as if someone is operating the device from somewhere. Letters scroll along the inside of the door. It says, “disinfection start”. A stream of liquid, reeking of alcohol, flows from the ceiling.

“Hah?! The hell is this?!”

(Heavy rain…)

It’s been years since he’d started living in this building. He can’t remember the last time he heard heavy rain. Feeling like he’s about to become overwhelmed by memories he doesn’t want to remember, he reflexively hits his hand against the door. But it’s locked, and won’t open that easily.

(…I didn’t hear about this…)

Having had her expectations completely trounced, Ray once more falls into silence. It goes without saying that she feels displeased.

After about a minute of raining down upon them, the stream finally stops, and the doors open after a message of “disinfection complete” scrolls along the panes.

“Haah…haah…this is way above gettin’ disinfected…!” Immediately after getting out, Zack takes in a series of harsh breaths. It had been nearly impossible to breathe underneath that harsh rain.

“…”

Still silent, and utterly soaked, Ray exits the device as well. With a sudden start, she recalls her purse, and slips her hand into it. It’ll be a problem if the things inside get wet. But the artificial leather has done a good job of repelling the liquid, and nothing has gotten soaked.

(…Thank goodness.)

Once more, that high-spirited woman’s voice reverberates throughout the room.

((Hiii! It seems you’re all well and prepared for your judgement!))

“Hey, bitch, stop screwin’ around! Stop bein’ all lively’n’crap!” Zack raises his voice angrily, as if he has no intention of losing to that woman. His pants had just finally gotten dry from when he had been in the pool on B4.

((Ahahah, you seemed quite dirty, I think it’s fine.))

The woman replies pleasantly. She feels extremely delighted just looking at how soaked the two of them are through her cameras.

(…I want to dry my hair.)

The alcoholic liquid drips from Ray’s platinum blonde hair. Feeling truly annoyed, she lifts a small hand to gather the liquid from some of the strands.

((Well, now that you’re ready, I’ll give you two a bit of a choice!))

“Hah? There’s somethin’ else?!”

((Yes, Zack. This is just the beginning. After you leave this room, there will be maaany painful punishments awaiting you both! So…how about just going to jail? You can take as much time as you want thinking back on all the sins you’ve committed. It’ll be quite valuable to you, I think. And if you do, you’ll have a splendid life ahead of you as one of my pets! So, what do you say?))

The woman crosses her legs and applies mascara to her long lashes as she looks at the two of them through the monitor. They both look so annoyed.

“Who would willingly do somethin’ like that?” Zack snaps. If he’s going to be kept as a pet in some jail and die slowly, he’s better off just stabbing himself.

“So it’d be for my whole life…I wouldn’t just die immediately…?” Imagining herself imprisoned in such a jail, the girl finds herself asking the woman this.

(Aah?!)

Zack glowers at the girl. She had been this way on Eddie’s floor, too. He doesn’t especially like her attitude that anyone can kill her, even if it isn’t him.

((Oh, my…Rachel, you’d like to go to jail? You can of course enter on your own.))

The woman giggles, and urges her on. It will certainly be entertaining to see the girl die as a doll within one of her cells, all alone.

“She’s not goin’! Hey, Ray. Don’t react t’ what she says! Let’s go!”

Annoyed by the girl’s indecisiveness, Zack grabs one of her slender arms and pulls her toward the now-open door.

(Hmph…)

To the woman, this is not an especially interesting scene.

(But, that promise – I should do this while I can…)

((I see…how unfortunate. And I thought I could keep you forever. Well, if you feel like going to jail, just tell me, all right?))

Thinking of all the things that might occur in the future, the woman laughs boldly.

“Shut up!” Zack shouts angrily as he tugs Ray along.

▲▽

(Does that mean she wanted to go to jail?)

Even though she asked him to kill her, she acts like anything goes so long as she gets to die. Ray’s wishy-washy attitude causes the man ceaseless irritation as he proceeds down the hall.

(Well, it’s not like I wanna kill her…with such a boring face…)

In order to quell the strange, murky feelings welling up within him, Zack opens the next door. He’s greeted by a strange scent that flows through the air, like the smell of something burning.

(What is this?)

Feeling rather uneasy, Ray warily steps into the room, looking around. Inside is a raised portion that almost looks like some sort of stage. And on that stage is an ominous-looking chair, attached by chords to complicated-looking machinery on both sides.

“…”

The girl fearfully approaches the chair. It doesn’t appear to be functional at the moment, but it does seem to have restraints.

(This chair…is probably…)

I’ve seen this in a movie once.

Recalling that cruel scene, the girl takes a small gulp of air.

(But…what are these dolls?)

In front of the strange chair, assembled like an audience, are a series of faceless, childlike dolls – there are sixteen in all, all sitting upon chairs of their own.

“What’s up with those?” Zack asks dumbfoundedly as he stares at the mysterious sight.

“I don’t know.” Ray stares at the dolls silently, trying to figure out what they might be for.

“They’re damn ugly, too.”

“…Are they?” Ray tilts her head a little upon hearing his frank judgement. Ray doesn’t see those dolls as creepy or ugly. On the contrary, seeing them all lined up like this is rather nostalgic and pleasant.

“…Ya got bad taste.” Zack scowls slightly, seeing how different their taste in aesthetics is.

“Is this the first judgement room?” Ray suddenly remembers the woman’s statements.

“Who knows,” he replies nonchalantly. It’s not that he had been ignoring her – he simply can’t be bothered to remember so many things.

Click. An unsettling noise sounds from the entrance.

(…Was it locked?)

Ray rushes to the door and turns the knob.

“Zack, it’s locked.”

“Ah? What is it with everyone here and lockin’ doors and talkin’ t’ people…”

“I think she’s watching us through the cameras,” Ray replies, looking up at one of the cameras in the ceiling. She’s seen them everywhere since she woke up on B7. It’s easy to guess that the woman must have been watching them all this time.

“Hah?! Seriously?! That’s creepy.”

“You wouldn’t do that, Zack?”

“No. There wasn’t anything like that in my room, anyway. Well, even if there were, I don’t got such gross hobbies like that.”

Zack continues speaking, somewhat listlessly,

“Anyway, let’s get outta here already. Just loiterin’ around…ain’t gonna let us move back or forward. This kinda stuff tires me out the most.”

Zack lets out an enormous sigh as he looks around the room. And then, as if to take a break, he promptly sits upon the eerie chair.

“Hey, Zack…I don’t think you should sit on that…”

Ray urges him to get away from it. She remembers a wicked scene she had seen in a movie once. A person, slowly burning to death as they suffer in that awful chair…

“Ah? Shut it. I’m damn tired.”

But Zack relaxes even further upon the chair, crossing his legs.

“…You should get off. I think that chair is…” The girl pales as she looks up at him.

“Huh? What about this chair?” He glares at her. From Zack’s perspective, her expression doesn’t appear especially panicked. He doesn’t know what she’s thinking at all. All he knows is that her eyes are dead.

And, with those dead eyes of hers, Ray stares at him – completely oblivious to any danger he’s in, with a stupid look on his face – and says in a small voice:

“…An electric chair – for executions…”

And then, as if someone somewhere had pressed a button, the restraints on the chair fasten around Zack’s body.

((Ahahahah!))

At that moment, the woman’s laughter reverberates around the room at a pitch so high it seems like it could kill insects. An enormous monitor descends from the ceiling. On it is a beautiful woman with medium-length blonde hair, the tips of which have been dyed pink. Her eyes are catlike.

((Hiii! Sorry for meeting you like this through a screen. I am this floor’s condemner. Please burn me in your memory. Oh my – Zack is the one who sat down!))

(…How wonderful.)

The woman chuckles to herself. A most marvellous scenario has clicked in place within her mind.

“Hey, you bitch, let me out of here!” Zack snarls at the woman. The restraints jangle uselessly as he struggles. The cuffs won’t break simply from his ridiculous strength.

((Zack, what are you saying? I can’t just let you go. What kind of condemner wouldn’t give punishment to a sinner? Sinners must compensate for their sins until their lives end.))

The woman cheerfully bounces in her seat. She can hardly contain her excitement at the prospect of hurting Zack with her own hands as much as her heart desires.

(…I’m so happy, I might kill you right now, Zack.)

Filled with great joy, the woman happily operates the machine at hand. A violent current passes through the chair for several seconds.

“…Ugh…!”

Zack’s form writhes on the chair.

(…!)

Ray’s eyes widen as she stares at that painful sight.

“Zack…” As the current stops, Ray approaches the man and calls his name in a voice tinged with anguish.

“…”

But Zack gives no response.

((Oh, my. Zack?))

The woman also seems somewhat uneasy. But she isn’t worried. She simply thinks that it’s boring that Zack should die from something like this.

“…That hurts! You sadistic bitch!”

But Zack wouldn’t die from that. His furious voice fills the air.

(…He’s alive.)

Seeing him so full of vigour, Ray sighs, and presses a hand to her chest in relief.

((How amazing! He’s alive, he’s alive! A murderer, a monster, he’s practically my ideal sinner!))

The woman’s voice is full of excitement, having witnessed Zack’s inhuman immortality with her very eyes.

“Shuddap! Don’t get so happy! I’m gonna kill you! Let me go, damnit!” Zack attempts to break his bonds as he shouts. But he can only manage to move his limbs and torso only slightly.

((Heheh, of course…then how about this: I’ll have that chair send toooons of electric volts through your body…all the while Rachel Gardner tries to turn it off. If it all goes well, I’ll let you through.))

As she speaks of such dreadful things so cheerfully, the woman tilts her head slightly.

(…All the while?)

“…Stop. He’ll die,” Ray says calmly.

This electric chair is used for executions. Even Zack would die from being kept in that chair. Anyone could make this conclusion easily.

((Wouldn’t it be fun to see…just how much of a strong-willed, monstrous sinner Zack is? Oh, Zack…my heart is just pounding! I simply can’t wait to see how much of my punishment a monster like you can handle!))

Of course, the woman has no intention of stopping. On the contrary, she’s impatient to begin the torture immediately.

(I want to see his face warped in agony…)

((Now then, everyone! The judgement will now begin! Please enjoy this wicked sinner’s suffering as he squirms in pain!))

The woman calls out in a strange voice.

Suddenly, the heads of the dolls in front of the stage begin to shudder and shake left and right.

Seeing that strange spectacle, Ray’s body shivers in disgust and grows stiff. It doesn’t seem as if the dolls are being controlled – it looks as if they’ve suddenly been granted life.

((The spectators gaze hatefully at the sinner…and it is in these gazes that the sinner’s death has merit. Here, the onlookers’ eyes pass judgement… Now, start ♪))

The woman’s words are utterly mysterious. And, as she flicks the monitor feed off, her gaze meets Ray’s, and she gives her a strange wink.

The eerie chair Zack sits upon soon gives out an extremely loud sound – and a rush of electricity even harsher than before courses through it.

“…!”

Unable to hold back a groan, Zack’s form twists on the chair. His entire body shakes. It seems he might lose consciousness in a matter of moments.

“Zack…!”

Ray can’t come close to him because of the violent current.

“…Hey, Ray! What ya gotta do now, is keep our promise…! Do it! Ya said…ya wanna be useful…! But…let me kill…that sadistic bitch…!!” Zack musters all his strength as he snarls, even as the electric volts course through him. A normal person wouldn’t have been able to bear it.

“…Okay, I’ll try.” Ray’s expression becomes grim as she stares at that far too cruel sight. She gives a small nod.

“You know…what’ll happen…i-if I die, right?!” Zack asks, his expression full of pain.

(I don’t wanna die…and I’m not gonna let that psycho bitch kill me.)

But it’s true – that he’ll die if this keeps up.

(If Zack dies…)

I don’t want that…I have to stop this somehow.

“…If you die, you won’t be able to do anything. That’ll be a problem.” Composing herself, Ray answers him.

“If you understand…then do something…quickly!”

“Okay.” Gazing firmly into his eyes, she nods.

“The spectators gaze hatefully at the sinner…”

(Are the dolls the spectators…?)

Ray feels that the woman’s final words must have been a hint to unravelling this puzzle – and sinks deep into thought as she considers them.

(The spectators gaze…that must be it…)

The sixteen dolls gazing at the electric chair…

The dolls’ heads rock in mirth as they stare at Zack.

(…?)

Ray abruptly realises that some of the dolls’ heads are not moving. She draws nearer to those dolls.

“It is in these gazes that the sinner’s death has merit.”

(Their gazes give the sinner’s death merit…so I have to take that merit away…maybe…I have to turn their gazes away from him…?)

Ray grips the motionless heads and uses all her strength to twist them around. Upon doing so, it seems like the electric current coursing through the chair lessens slightly.

(It got weaker…?)

“…Zack, how is it? Is it better?” Ray asks, trying to ensure that her plan is working.

“Aah?! Are you joking?! It fuckin’…hurts! Do something!” But Zack’s body hasn’t ceased writhing just from that. His entire body shakes, as if he’s trying to relieve himself of the pain.

“…I’ll hurry. …I’m trying.”

(I must hurry…)

Ray’s fingers ball into fists.

(So I’ve figured out that I have to turn the dolls’ faces away…)

But the remaining dolls’ heads tremble left and right furiously, and it’s difficult to twist their necks.

(…I have to cut them…)

That’s the only way she can help Zack now.

“…Hey, Zack, could you throw your scythe over here?” She wholeheartedly wishes to stop the electric current.

“Hah?!”

“Lend it to me, I need it,” Ray declares as she gazes at him.

(She’s…tryin’ to order me around when I’m about t’ die? Just what does she take me for…?!)

Despite the fact that it feels like his intestines might rupture, he manages to throw the scythe toward her. He doesn’t know what she might need that for, but he has no other options – if he wants to be saved, he has to count on her. Though…rather than having thrown it, it’s more accurate to say that he’d nudged the scythe along the floor.

“…I can’t reach it,” Ray mutters without thinking.

“I can’t…do anything! It’s up to…you!” Zack feels as if his consciousness is drifting further and further away.

(…Shit…)

He feels like his eyes could close at any second.

…No.

“Zack…?” Ray anxiously calls his name.

“…” Though Zack retains some amount of consciousness, he can’t speak. For some reason, he tastes stale bread on his tongue.

Why didn’t you come back…?

Like a spinning kaleidoscope, he sees his child’s self sad expression whirling through his mind.

“…It doesn’t matter if you’re loud. If you’re alive, say something,” Ray says, staring into his slightly open eyes. She wants to confirm that he’s alive.

(…What do you mean, say something…)

He feels unbelievably irritated by Ray’s attitude. She seems to have no consideration for someone on the brink of death. And it’s at that moment that his child self vanishes from his mind.

“Yer so…selfish! I’m gonna die!” Zack snaps, opening his eyes as if to give proof of his survival.

“…Thank goodness.”

(He’s alive…)

Ray’s voice is full of relief.

Zack can’t die – …after all, he’s the one who’s going to kill me…

Ray gently begins to lift Zack’s scythe. Though it must weigh somewhere around ten kilograms, she somehow manages to heft it up. She almost can’t believe Zack had been swinging this around so easily.

(It’s really heavy…but I have to try.)

Ray cuts down the dolls’ heads as quickly as she can. A strange red thing flows from the dolls’ necks. She has no leisure to wonder whether it might be thread, cotton, or something else. The instant she cuts all the heads off, the electricity flowing into the chair stops. The restraints binding Zack to the chair come undone at the same time.

(It stopped…)

Is Zack okay…?

Dropping the scythe to the floor, Ray rushes to his side.

“…Zack, are you okay?” she asks, peering into his listless face.

“…”

But he doesn’t respond. His eyes are closed. However, she can see his eyelashes fluttering faintly between the layers of bandages.

“…Zack…?” She calls his name once more.

“…”

Once again, no response. Nothing but silence flows between them. And Ray simply stares at him intently.

She has no idea how much time passes. It feels like a long time. But the man suddenly stands, enraged, from the chair, and shouts as if brought back to life,

“T…took ya long enough! How much d’ya think I can take?!”

“…You’re alive.” She stares up at him, looking slightly surprised. The moment she heard Zack’s voice, she somehow also felt as if she’d been revived.

“Aah?! Of course I am!”

“…I don’t know what I’d do if you were dead…” Ray’s words come from the very bottom of her heart.

“Hah? I’m not gonna die that easily, stupid.” Zack’s expression is full of pride as he boasts. He doesn’t seem as if he’d just been shocked by an electric chair.

“…Amazing,” Ray murmurs. His vitality can’t seem to be encompassed in that one word.

The large monitor lowers from the ceiling once more. The woman guffaws with laughter as usual.

((How truly amazing! I never thought you’d live through that…the toughness and vitality of monsters truly is fascinating! Oh…you truly are my ideal sinner, Zack. I did look forward to seeing you die…but I’m kind, so I’ll recognise that girl’s efforts…I’ll let you pass through!))

The woman winks gracefully. Ray hears the sound of a door opening.

((And there’s no such thing as only one punishment…there are as many as you have sins. Isn’t that wonderful?))

The woman reapplies bright red lipstick to her mouth and smiles. Before either Zack or Ray can speak, the monitor flickers off.

“That sadistic psycho-bitch…her voice is seriously annoying! I can’t stand that laugh! I’d kill her right now if she weren’t in some screen!” Zack kicks at the floor, trying to relieve his stress, and clicks his teeth.

“…”

Ray’s gaze flicks toward the ground.

(Kill…her…)

For some reason, a thorn pierces Ray’s heart as she hears the word Zack so carelessly directs toward that woman.

(…I don’t think Zack wants to kill me.)

When she thinks this, her chest prickles painfully. She can’t really explain what this feeling is. Because, after all, this is the first time in her life she has ever felt this way.

I don’t know…

She doesn’t know why, but for some reason the idea that Zack would want to kill someone else other than her is extremely unpleasant.

“Anyway, what is this? This looks like a damn murder scene…what were ya doin’?” Zack asks, having finally surveyed the room. The heads of the dolls are scattered about the floor.

“It seemed like the dolls were a part of the mechanism, so I cut their heads off,” Ray replies matter-of-factly.

“What the hell…that’s creepy…this is the worst….ya used my scythe for somethin’ weird, I was on that stupid chair…” Zack grumbles under his breath.

“…Half of it is your fault.” Ray sounds a little exasperated. Thinking back on it, Zack had sat in that electric chair of his own accord, so it’s easy to see where everything had started.

“Shut up, ya should’ve warned me!”

“…I did.”

“Ah? I didn’t hear anythin’ like that,” Zack retorts, his eyebrows furrowing. But it isn’t that he’s angry or upset. Because of the harsh electrical shocks, he can’t quite remember how they ended up in this situation.

“That’s your fault…”

“Well, ya saved me, so it doesn’t matter, right?!” His voice rises in defiance against the girl’s sulky tone.

“But, you might have died…and if you die, you won’t be able to kill me.” Ray’s expression is meek as she speaks. All Ray wishes for – is a future where Zack kills her.

“Ugh, yer really stubborn! You’ll become the worst ghost ever.”

“You said ghosts don’t exist.”

“Oh, shut it! Anyway, I’m not gonna die that easily.”

“…Really?” Ray looks up at Zack with eyes full of prayer.

“Yeah. I’m not gonna die. Anyway, that chair’s dangerous, so let’s get goin’!” Zack begins to walk briskly away, as if to escape Ray’s ever-present “wish”.

Even now, strangely, he can’t muster the desire to kill her. He can’t want to kill her. He’s never met anyone like this.

How does it feel to kill someone you don’t want to kill…?

Zack thinks quietly to himself. But it’s not as if he can’t kill her. He doesn’t want anyone else to kill her, either. Perhaps, if she shows him her best smiling face, he won’t be able to stop himself from ending her life.

(…This is a weird feeling.)

“…I won’t sit on it,” Ray says as she opens the door.

“I ain’t sittin’ on it, either!” Annoyed, Zack puts the room behind him. Ray follows him.

▲▽

The hallway now is lit-up by bright fluorescent lights. It feels a little strange.

“Zack, how much do you know about this building?” Ray asks as they walk.

“Huh? Didncha ask me a question like that already?”

“Yes, but…I was wondering how much you know about the other people here.”

“Not much…just that they’re all creepy,” he replies nonchalantly.

“Really? But you called Doctor Danny by name…and that boy in the grave.”

“Well, I knew their names, but I never really spent much time on their floors…sometimes I saw their faces, but they weren’t normal, so I never talked much t’ ‘em.”

(Who the hell is Doctor Danny, anyway…?)

Zack feels uncomfortable, hearing Ray talk about him in that manner.

He isn’t interested in anyone but himself. And if he did find interest in someone else – it’s because he’s uncomfortable seeing people go about their daily lives, and wants to see their expressions turn to despair. That’s all.

“Not normal…so, did you want to kill them?” Ray asks, though it almost sounds like she’s talking to herself. The word Zack had said to that woman still remains stuck to her heart, unable to be removed.

“Ah?” Zack isn’t aware of any complicated feelings Ray might have. After all, he quickly forgets the words he says when he’s unaware of them. Or perhaps it’s better to say he never remembered in the first place. He isn’t constantly itching to kill people, anyway. It’s an impulsive, transitory feeling.

“…Nothing.” Ray shakes her head in order to withdraw her earlier statement.

▲▽

After a short while of walking, the pair find themselves in front of yet another door. It’s marked with a plate that says “warning: danger”.

(Danger…)

Ray comes to a halt in front of the door, like a robot whose power has been cut off. That word seems ominous.

“Hey, what are ya doin’? Not goin’?” Zack peers into Ray’s face from behind, trying to urge her on. He’s completely unable to read the sign.

“It’s obviously dangerous,” Ray mutters. If that woman had gone to the trouble of writing that – there is likely some kind of trap waiting on the other side of this door.

(But if we want to go forward, we have to go through here…)

What should we do…?

“Hah? There’s no point in thinkin’ ‘bout whether it’s dangerous or not. We can’t go anywhere if we’re all scared’n’crap!” Zack seems to run out of breath as he shouts, irritated at seeing Ray fumble with the doorknob so indecisively.

“But, because of what happened before…I think we should be a little more careful.” As Ray speaks, she recalls that horrid scene – Zack’s body, struck by those volts of electricity, his eyes closed.

If I had been just a little too late, Zack might have died…

Just thinking this causes her to be more and more hesitant about entering the next room.

“Ah? It’ll be faster if we just go instead of screwin’ around,” comes Zack’s immediate reply.

Being on death’s door is now nothing more than something in the past to him.

It’s one of his principles to not look back on the past, ever since long ago. Perhaps more than simply being a principle, it’s a necessity. There is not a single memory he wants to look back on. Ever since he had been born, his life has been nothing more than the embodiment of unhappiness. So he’s not particularly afraid of difficulties or sorrow. Rather, he’s more frightened of being happy.

“…Zack, it’s okay to cross a stone bridge after hitting it,” * Ray points out sharply. Zack’s sense of danger is too dull.

“Hah?! But it’d break! How is it different from goin’ fast?!”

“…It is different, and that’s not what I meant.”

“What?! That’s what ya mean when ya talk ‘bout hittin’ stuff! Stop talkin’ about crap I don’t understand. Let’s get going!”

“…I feel like talking with you just confuses me…”

The punchline is lost to Zack, and the two cross into the “dangerous” room, talking amongst themselves.

• This is a Japanese proverb that means “to do something cautiously”. It’s often used to describe someone who is very careful.

▲▽

And, as they enter the room, the door, of course, locks. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it has been locked by someone.

“Ah…” Ray unintentionally lets out a small noise. There are no other doors in this room, as far as she can see.

(What should we do? We’re locked in…)

She’s enveloped by a strange uneasiness. The entrance has a sign that says “open/closed”, and there is what looks like a card reader near it.

(…Is there a card somewhere?)

She abruptly remembers how she had obtained a card from the computer on B7.

“It’s not really surprisin’ for the door t’ lock anymore,” Zack says, unbothered.

“Yeah…” Despite feeling anxious, Ray looks around the room. There are numerous wall-mounted televisions affixed high up, though there is no ladder to reach them. It almost makes the room look like some kind of electronics store. Peering closer, she sees some of the TVs have various scratches and marks, as if someone had tried to pull them down.

(I wonder what those are.)

In the very centre of the room is a human-shaped, black and red object.

(A body…)

It seems it’s been left there for a long time, because it’s already decaying.

(What’s that…?)

“The man who lies here…”

But the rest of the words are covered by the corpse, unreadable.

(…I wonder what’s written there…)

Absentmindedly thinking to herself, the girl proceeds further into the room. There’s a safe about as large as a refrigerator. Opening it, she finds a single, old-looking gas mask.

(A gas mask…)

She suddenly has a bad feeling. Or rather, she’s had a bad feeling ever since they came into this room.

“This room…kinda stinks.” Zack sighs, almost as if he senses Ray’s unease. Being locked up in all sorts of rooms has left him feeling rather disgusted.

(Ah?)

He feels as if he’s just stepped on something. Lifting his foot, he sees a remote control. It’s probably for the televisions.

…Come to think of it, how many years has it been since I last saw a TV?

Leaning down, he picks up the controller and automatically points it at the televisions lining the wall. Then, he presses the on button. In that instant, the television screens flicker on, showing the form of the woman they had seen earlier.

Hello, how are you today? This video is addressed to my lovely sinners!

I’m going to explain the purpose of this room now. So if you don’t want to die, better listen up, all right?

The execution method of this room is rather luxurious, if I do say so myself.

It’s tightly sealed, and the air absolutely does not leak outside. And it’s going to be filled with something very wonderful!

And that wonderful thing is…a very special poison gas to give sinners like you a gentle, endless sleep! ♪

There is, of course, a way to escape. And I’m very kind, so I’ve specially prepared a nearly useless gas mask just for you! Try to find it, okay?

Escaped prisoners are quite fascinating sinners as well…I like them, too ♪

But if you don’t feel like being interesting, just die to the poison gas, okay…?

Oh, that’s right. It’s boring if you don’t die right away, so I’ve given you a time limit.

If you go over the limit, I’ll give you an even stronger poisonous gas as a present!

Well then, in just a few moments, the poison gas will start to come into the room. Have a wonderful time!

Beep, beep!

That recording had likely been prepared in advance. As soon as it ends, a shrill siren sounds out within the room. The televisions now display an hourglass. It’s easy for Ray to guess that the time left on the hourglass must be inversely proportional to the poison gas in the room.

“…Hey, what are we gonna do?” Zack asks, his countenance somewhat deferential. No matter how stupid he believes himself to be, even someone like him can grasp the danger of the situation they’re in right now.

“She said that there’s a way to get out. So we have to work hard to find it. For now, you should hurry and put the mask on…” Walking up to the safe, Ray pulls out the old gas mask and holds it out to Zack.

“What, I’m gonna put it on?” A proverbial question mark floats above his head. It seems obvious to him that Ray should be the one to put the mask on, since she is smaller than him.

“Yes. …If you die, that’ll be a problem. That’s why you should use it.” Her voice sounds unconcerned. She can sense the gas beginning to flow into the room. It’s an odd scent that feels like it might scramble her brain.

“And what happens when you die?” Zack asks coldly.

“…I don’t know.” Ray looks away. The manner in which she answers his question makes it sound as if she thinks this is not her problem.

“Bullshit! If you die, I won’t be able t’ get outta here! Think of something!” he snarls, voice roughening due to his anger at her irresponsible attitude.

Does she really want me to kill her?!

(Maybe she just wants to have a pleasant death…?)

Though he looks into her almost artificially blue eyes, he can’t feel any emotion from them. He doesn’t even know what she’s thinking in the first place. Just that she wants to die. But he doesn’t have time to think about this, nor does he need to. But wondering about why Ray wants to be killed by him sometimes makes him feel like his heart has grown clouded with some sort of fog.

(After all, I’ve never been needed by anyone.)

“…Then, we’ll switch when it hurts,” Ray suggests, after thinking for a bit.

“Ya know, you might not care if ya die, but that’ll be a problem to me if ya do. So say somethin’ before it starts hurtin’!” Zack snaps back. He almost sounds as if he’s reprimanding her. No matter what Ray thinks, if they can’t get out of here, nothing will come out of their wishes. He most certainly does not want to die in this building.

“I get it. I’ll tell you before it hurts. So quickly, put it on.”

She’s not afraid of dying. She’s more afraid of living. But, if possible, she wants Zack to kill her. She doesn’t know why she thinks this so strongly – they had just met recently, after all. Even if she thinks about it, she wouldn’t be able to come up with a theory explaining this.

But ever since she had started thinking she wanted Zack to kill her, that has become her wish.

And Zack had also sworn.

(To God…)

So, I want to be useful to him. I have to be useful.

“…So, how are we gonna get out?” Putting on the rather unreliable-looking mask, Zack asks this in a somewhat uneasy tone of voice. There’s no way he could ever think of a way to get out of a room like this. He has to rely on Ray.

“There must be a hint. We have to find it.” She keenly feels just how much the man depends upon her. Despite her expressionless face, she earnestly feels she must do her best.

“Well then, hurry up. We don’t got much time.”

“Okay.” With a small nod, she rushes over to the dead body.

(There’s something written under this…)

She’s been curious about those words ever since they got into this room. There might be some kind of hint. Filled with this expectation, she attempts to move the corpse.

(…It’s heavy.)

But it’s more difficult than she thought. With her strength, she only manages to move it very slightly. It practically seems to be affixed to the floor.

The man who lies here is a foolish…

At least she manages to confirm that there is indeed something else written beneath the body.

“Zack?”

“What?”

“I want you to move the body. There’s something written on the floor.”

“Hah? Ya can’t even move this? Damn, brats are annoying.”

Zack’s complaint is intermingled with a joke. Lifting the body up, he moves it to the side. Though he can’t use his head like Ray, manual labour of this sort is easy.

“Oh…the leg came off.”

But at that moment, the right leg simply falls off from the corpse.

(Fuckin’ gross…)

Ray feels somewhat uncomfortable. She feels like the colour of that leg is different from the rest of the body.

(Did it rot before turning into a corpse…?)

“So, what’s written there?”

The letters continue on from where the corpse had lain before. But Zack is unable to read it.

The man who lies here is a foolish, spineless murderer who tramples upon his own life with his own two feet. Though he suffers, aware of his unsightly sin, and knows that all he must do is abandon those feet, he cannot accomplish even this. In the end, he is nothing more than a foolish sinner, his legs only to be used for wandering hell for all eternity.

Ray reads the red letters to herself.

(What does this mean…?)

Abandon his feet… Does this have anything to do with the leg…?

Near the corpse is a large puddle of blood. As she stares at it for a little longer, she realises that beneath the blood is yet something else written.

(Is there more…?)

However, only parts of the words are readable.

“Zack, I want you to look for something I can use to wipe the floor with.” If she can read it, she might able to find another hint. That’s why Ray asks him to do this.

“I ain’t a wizard, ya know.” Zack’s eyebrows furrow. Perhaps because of his idiocy, he can’t keep up with what Ray is thinking at all. And of course, there doesn’t seem to be anything he can use for that nearby.

“I know.”

“Anyway, what are ya gonna wipe the floor for? Why?”

“I want to clear up the blood here. Because there’s something written there. There might be a dust cloth somewhere or something…”

“I don’t have anything like that. You don’t got a handkerchief or somethin’ in that bag of yours?”

“…I have…a handkerchief.” Ray’s gaze is gloomy as she casts a glance toward her purse.

“Then ya can use that, yeah?”

“…Yeah.”

(But…if I use this, then…)

For an instant, her vision sways terribly. A faint blue gleam shines within her eyes. And when she blinks, it’s gone.

“What’s wrong?” Zack peers into her face. He thought her expression had changed for a moment.

“Um…I think I might be hurting a bit…from the poison gas.” Looking up at Zack’s face, who has noticed her discomfort, she answers in just the same voice as usual.

“Hah?! I told ya t’ tell me before it hurts!” Zack scowls, immediately pulling the gas mask off and shoving it upon Ray’s face.

“But, I can’t know it hurts until it actually hurts,” Ray mumbles. The mask covers her entire face. But perhaps, rather than hurting…it feels like her head is about to float away, like her feet aren’t on solid ground. It’s a strange sensation.

“Damnit, yer so quiet, I dunno if yer dead or alive!”

“It’s okay, I’m alive.”

“I know that!”

“You said you don’t know…”

“Ugh…stop yammerin’. Just breathe!” Zack barks. It seems like she just has have a response to every little thing he says.

“Okay. But we have to clean that up, quick…I’m sure it’s a hint of some kind.”

“I get it. I’ll do it, just give me the cloth!” Zack snaps, his voice growing desperate toward the end. He’ll be troubled if Ray dies. He has no idea what sort of poison gas this is, but he’s still doing all right. That’s why what he needs to do is put his physical strength to work. That’s what he instinctively thinks.

“Okay.” Ray slips her hand into her pocket in order to take out the handkerchief. But as she does so, she suddenly feels the way she had that night. However, now is not the time to hesitate. Ray pulls the handkerchief out – unwrapping the thing that had been held in it all this time, from that day, and passes it to Zack.

“Ah…so all I gotta do is wipe the blood up with this?” Zack asks, hesitating slightly as he stares down at the cute, light blue cloth.

“Yeah. I’ll help you. I have a toothbrush too,” she mumbles as she searches in her pouch.

(…It kinda feels like she’s just puttin’ on a face.)

“Anyway, why…what’s the point in wearin’ that?” The gas mask is clearly too large for Ray’s face. There are large gaps on each side of her head.

“I don’t know…I feel like it’s already broken,” Ray says. In fact, it hurts a little more to breathe than before.

“Huh? Then just throw it away! It just causes too many problems. If it hurts, just breathe less.”

“…? But you just told me to concentrate on breathing.” For some reason, Ray tilts her head.

“Ah?! If ya don’t got the mask, all ya can do is try t’ stop breathin’!” Zack scowls slightly. It’s weird that Ray doesn’t have a grasp on this, despite being smarter than him.

“…Okay,” Ray mutters meaninglessly. She doesn’t quite understand why, but she feels rather odd because of their unusual situation. Her mouth curves downwards.

“Did ya get poisoned?” Zack tilts his head slightly. For some reason, she sort of looks like she’s having fun.

“I feel kind of weird?” She tilts her head in turn.

(Weird?)

He looks are her closely. She looks the same as usual, but she also feels different. The fact that she’s utterly expressionless hasn’t changed, however.

But it’s weird that something changed at all…

“…I dunno. Anyway, yer always weird.” He’s annoyed of thinking.

“Am I?” Despite her slightly astonished expression, Ray speaks as monotonously as usual as she looks up at Zack. Her eyes are utterly hollow.

(Is she high ‘cause of the drugs or somethin’?)

Is she okay…?

“Anyway, we don’t got much time. I’m gonna clean the floor.” They don’t have time for these silly conversations. He’s fine right now, but if more poison gas comes into the room, he might not last. Determined to escape from the room as quickly as possible, he quickly begins to wipe up the floor.

(Still, this is damn annoying. I’ve never even cleaned anything before…)

With a great sigh, he continues to vigorously wipe the mess up.

(…There really is something written there.)

Ray scrubs the parts she can see clean with the toothbrush in order to see them better.

After wiping the floor clean, it really does appear that the writing earlier has a continuation.

If you have understanding of what part of your flesh has committed a sin, slice it off. Then, weight it upon the scale, along with the weight of your sin. Make them even. But know that if that happens to be your very soul, your wish will not come to pass.

(Weigh them on the scale, and make them even.)

“Zack, I want you to put that leg onto the scale,” Ray says immediately.

“Hah?! Why do I have to touch that gross shit?!” Zack automatically snarls. He doesn’t really like touching corpses. He has never liked the smell of them, either.

“Okay then.” Ray’s listless words make it sound as if she’s abandoned him.

(…?!)

Zack’s eyes narrow. That reaction is different from what Ray would normally do. That’s what he feels.

(This gas really does have somethin’ weird in it.)

As Zack stares at her in amazement, Ray walks up to the corpse and picks up the severed leg.

(…It’s heavy.)

In fact, it’s far heavier than she had expected. Perhaps because of the gas, she’s completely unable to lift it at all.

“Ugh, move! All I gotta do is put it on the scale, right?!” Zack snaps. He’s unable to bear looking at her like that. Pulling the limb out of her hands, he approaches the scale that she points out. Then he sets it upon it with a low thump. It doesn’t take him very long. And Ray becomes annoyed, perceiving herself as being useless.

(Make them even…)

Ray picks up the plates on the other side of the scale, and places them on the other side until the weights begin to match. The moment they align perfectly – there’s a sound of something unlocking in the loft above.

“Something opened?”

“Probably.”

The two of them look up toward the loft. It’s about three metres high up. And there isn’t a ladder they can climb. Even Zack can’t see what the loft looks like.

“Go check if there’s somethin’ up there.”

“How?”

“…Yeah…c’mere.” After thinking a moment, a strange glint flashes through the man’s eyes. Zack guides Ray underneath the loft. And, without any warning whatsoever, he firmly grasps Ray around the hips with his bony hands –

“Then, let’s go.”

“Eh?”

Then, easily lifts her up like a tool of some sort, and tosses her small form up into the loft.

(…?!)

Ray has absolutely no idea what just occurred. She’d just been floating in space for a second, and now she finds herself in the loft.

“Hey! Stop spacin’ out, go look for somethin’! Ya want t’ be useful, right?!” Zack urges her on in a somewhat annoyed tone of voice. She’s too still, trying to process what had just happened.

“Okay.”

That’s right… I’m going to be useful to Zack.

(I think the noise…came from further within…)

Likely because it hadn’t been cleaned in a while, the loft is full of dust. The gap to the ceiling is only about fifteen centimetres. Despite feeling a little apprehensive, Ray crawls further inside. Upon doing so, she finds a small box.

(It’s open…I wonder if the sound was this box opening…)

Inside is a small mechanism. It says “dost thou believe in God?”. Below that question is a “yes” button and a “no” button.

(…God.)

There is no indication of whose God the question refers to. But because of the gas, Ray has no strength to think clearly. She simply, immediately thinks of her own God, and presses the “yes” button. The machine emits a beep, and a card slides out of it. Ray thinks it must be for the card reader at the entrance.

(We’ll be able to get out with this.)

“Zack, I found a card.” Ray peers out from the loft to look down at him.

“Oh, good job! We can get outta this damn room.” He looks up at her proudly. However, he then realises that she doesn’t appear to be coming down.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Um…I can’t get down…” With an expression just a little bit girlishly frightened, she looks down at the floor.

“Hah?! Just jump down!”

“…I think I’ll break some bones if I do that. And…I’m a bit scared.” Despite her blank face, she speaks her true feelings. She’s not very fond of tall places.

“What the hell…ya really are troublesome.” Zack sighs. “Haah…c’mon, give me yer hand.”

“…Hand?” Ray tilts her head.

“Ya can’t get down, right?!”

“I can’t.”

“So do it!” Zack snaps, annoyed at how slow she is to understand. He holds out one of his own bandaged hands.

“Okay.” Putting the card into her pocket, Ray slowly reaches out her hand toward Zack. Grasping onto her, Zack pulls her down and holds her up for only a moment, before unceremoniously placing her on the ground.

“Thank you,” Ray whispers, somewhat unsteady on her feet.

“It’s nothin’. So, where’s the card?” Zack averts his gaze from her with a huff.

“I think that if we put this into that card reader, we’ll be able to get out.” Ray pulls the card out of her pocket and shows it to him.

“Then go on’n’do it.”

“Right.”

(…Huh?)

However, the moment she makes to walk toward the door, she’s assailed by a terrible vertigo that makes her unable to stand. She slowly sinks to the floor.

The hourglass on the televisions is about two-thirds down. Which means that the air in the room is two-thirds poisonous gas.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Zack asks, kneeling down to try to meet her gaze.

She stares up into his bandaged face with hollow eyes.

“…Damnit, ya got poisoned.”

With a tch, Zack pulls the card out of her hand and turns to the device near the door.

“I just gotta put the card in, right?”

“…Yeah.” Ray gives a small nod. Running up to the card reader, Zack attempts to do just that. But it doesn’t seem to want to go into the slot very easily.

“Aah?! Why won’t it go in?!” Unbelievably irritated, he begins to shove the card in forcibly. And then – there’s an ominous crack, as the card breaks right in half.

“Ah…?” Not quite understanding the situation yet, Zack emits a foolish sound.

“Ah…” And Ray’s mouth hangs upon wordlessly as she witnesses something she didn’t even expect.

((Ahahahah!))

In that moment, the room echoes with the laugh of that woman. The televisions once again begin to display her. It would appear that this isn’t a recording this time.

((I can’t believe it! I didn’t expect you to give yourself a game over! I’ll let you know a little something, Zack. You were putting the card in the wrong way. It’s so funny, I just can’t stop laughing! I haven’t gotten enough of punishing you yet, but…sinners have to follow the rules. After all, this was your own doing. But since you’re still looking all right, Zack…I’ll give you both a present of some even stronger gas. It’s my special gift, all right? It’s veeeery expensive. You’re such lucky sinners! Now then, make sure to suffer for me!))

The woman disconnects the feed once again.

(…I really did want to have more fun with you, Zack, but I can’t do anything about you getting a game over.)

And then, she presses a button upon her machine panel, and the gas begins to flow into the room.

▲▽

A sound almost like rain reaches their ears.