Satsuriku no Tenshi:Volume 1 Chapter 4

“This place…is kinda cold.”

“Yeah.”

Getting off the elevator, they’re greeted by a plaque engraved in the wall, reading B4, and cold air that fogs up with each breath. It’s as if they’ve arrived in a world of winter. Inhaling results in the intake of a chemically scent so strong as to make Ray’s head spin.

Inside the room is a pool that has been split into two by a narrow path. Looking into the bluish-green waters, Ray can see a dark shape at the bottom. It seems strangely human-like in shape.

(I wonder what that is.)

The girl stares into the water in concentration. But the pools are unexpectedly deep, and with the low visibility, she can’t make out what it is clearly. Leaning down close enough to see her face reflected back at her leads to the unpleasant scent becoming even stronger. She’s reluctant to investigate further.

“Hey, what’re ya lookin’ at?” Zack stares at her in puzzlement as she crouches down.

“There’s something in the water…”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hah? Ya don’t know. Then I don’t either. Anyway…aren’t ya cold in that flimsy jacket?” Zack poses his question as he stares at her exposed legs. The temperature is probably about ten degrees Celsius. Ray’s clothing happens to consist of a white jacket atop her shirt, and a pair of black shorts.

“I am cold, but it’s all right.” Her answer comes out in a quiet mutter. Saying she isn’t cold would be a lie. And she really is cold. But simply saying she’s cold won’t magically conjure up any other clothes she can wear, so it’s really pointless overall.

“Huh. Well, starin’ at that whatever it is ain’t gonna help ya. C’mon.”

“Yeah. I can kind of smell dirt from beyond those doors…” Staring across the short bridge, she can see that there is a sign near the door there. It says “Second Cemetery”.

“Gonna check it out?” Zack begins walking along the bridge.

“Yeah.” Ray follows after him.

▲▽

(Are we really inside a building…?)

The Second Cemetery is revealed to be a spacious, wide room. The old-looking walls are made of brick, and the dirt beneath their feet is damp.

“…Graves…”

And there are several tombstones, engraved with someone’s names.

“Makes no damn sense either. Tch, what’s the point of makin’ all these graves?” Sounding utterly disgusted, Zack looks around the room.

I hate the smell of dirt.

Whenever he breathes in that scent, unpleasant memories of his childhood flit through his mind.

“Wanna try diggin’ any of ‘em up?” Trying to shake off those images, he attempts to make a little joke.

“I don’t care.” Ray, however, answers him coldly as she explores the room. Her only obligation is to get out of this building with Zack. Anything else, the man can do as he pleases.

(Tch…what a boring brat.)

Feeling his mood spoiled by the girl’s response, he follows her further into the room.

(It really is cold…)

Ray’s eyebrows pull together as she feels the chill flowing against her skin. As she walks among the graves, she sees something conspicuously large among them. Coming nearer to it, she realises that it is not a tombstone, but a monument.

(There’s something written on it…)

Upon the stone is yet another set of mysterious writing.

“Here lie the graves of those impure.

“The pitiful ones, neither wanted by God or the angels.

“Covered by soil, beneath the dirt, they wait for purification.”

(Angels…)

“An angel, or a sacrifice?”

Ray is reminded of those words. They don’t seem to have any sort of deep meaning despite their prevalent re-occurrence. But she still doesn’t understand what they are meant to represent.

A little ways past the monument is a large pit – perhaps a dug-up grave. Peering into the hole, Ray sees something quietly crouched at the bottom.

“…” She stares intently at it.

“D’ya wanna get in it that badly?” Zack asks coolly, watching her as she stares into the grave without even twitching.

“No…looks like I can’t,” Ray mumbles quietly as she shakes her head. The thing that looks as if it’s crouching is, in fact, the dead body of a man. It seems as if he had been killed very recently. “This grave already has someone in it.”

(Another dead body…)

“Aah, all these bodies are makin’ me sick! Don’t you look over here!” Zack irritably snaps. He approaches the grave and shows absolutely no mercy for the body inside as he begins to stomp on it. It becomes so messy that it’s impossible to think that man might have been alive only a few days ago. Zack’s demeanour as he kicks the corpse – as if to even some sort of grudge – is odd, even compared to before.

“Ah…” Ray quickly turns her gaze away. Even though it has become nothing more than a lump of flesh, waiting to rot, the girl feels as if it made eye contact with her for a moment.

That is when she notices a door labelled “storage room”. Coming closer to it, she suddenly feels the air grow much colder against her skin. It seems to be coming from this room.

▲▽

The room denoted as “storage room” is as dark and quiet as night – or perhaps it would be better to say that it makes Ray think of the afterlife. Stepping inside reveals the room to be unbelievably cold.

(It’s like we’re in a freezer…)

Ray rubs her arms over her jacket.

Further inside is a pool smelling of chemicals, like the one in front of the elevator. At the bottom are human-like shapes. Ray can’t see them clearly, but it’s likely they’re corpses. The walls here seem brittle and cracked, perhaps because of the humidity.

“The walls are all crumbly…”

“It’s all damp’n’worn-out…this ain’t a good place t’ be.” Zack loiters around the room as he mutters to himself.

Within the storage room is an enormous refrigerator. Upon seeing it, Zack recalls how Ray’s “wish” had caused him to vomit all the snacks he had eaten earlier.

(What is she doin’, askin’ someone t’ kill her all of a sudden…I don’t get it at all. And ‘cause of her, I’m hungry.)

“Aah…is there anything in there?”

Sighing loudly, he thoughtlessly opens the fridge – and immediately loses his appetite.

“Whoa. A body…”

What was in the fridge was not anything edible, but rather, something that would make him expel the contents of his stomach again – the grotesque sight of a dead man’s body. It’s so destroyed it looks like simply touching it might cause its legs, arms, and head to fall off. The body is covered with a thin vinyl, and upon it is some sort of note.

Watkin Beckett (36)

Place of death – B3

Cause of death – Blood loss due to bullet wound

※ He sustained terrible injuries, so exercise caution when handling the body

“Was this person also…a sacrifice?” Ray asks, glancing at the body in the fridge.

“How should I know?” Zack’s response is utterly devoid of interest. He doesn’t want to touch the corpse, and if possible he doesn’t want to look at it, either. And he hates the stench of rotting bodies most of all.

“It says ‘B3’…we’re on B4, so we still have a way to go.”

“Huh, that so.” Zack gives a hearty yawn, like a cat.

“Do you know a lot about this place?” the girl asks, staring up at his listless expression.

“Dunno. I just came here ‘cause I was told that I could kill whoever I wanted to. I guess the other guys are the same? I dunno the details.” Dimly, he thinks back upon when he had been invited to this place. But he can’t recall how many years ago that’s been – he’s forgotten.

“…I see.” Ray murmurs.

“Could kill whoever I wanted to.”

Those words seem to catch at something in her chest. At the same time, she asks another question, as if to shake off old memories.

“Where were you before you came here?”

“I can tell ya, but what d’ya wanna know for?”

“Nothing…I just felt like asking.”

“What? Anyway, shouldn’t you be the one tryin’ t’ remember what you were doin’? Even if we get outta here, I’m not gonna take ya home.”

(Home…?)

If this were an anime, an enormous question mark would appear above Ray’s head right about now.

“…You said you’d kill me after we got out of here.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Zack speaks like someone who has just remembered something they had forgotten.

“…Please don’t forget.”

“I’m not going to!” Zack irritably tears his gaze away from her. He doesn’t have the desire to kill this doll-like girl, even though he’s made that sort of promise with her. Frankly, all he can think about is getting out of this building alive.

(Well, when we get outta here, those dead eyes’ll prolly be back t’ normal.)

“I’m freezin’, so I’m gettin’ out of here!”

“…Okay.” The girl nods, her expression gloomy. Even though she’s made that promise with him, she has no positive proof that he’ll keep it. If he winds up not killing her…she can no longer see any reason to want to leave this place.

There’s an uncomfortable silence between them now as they leave the storage room. This time, they go down a hallway. There, they find a door with a signboard that states “First Cemetery”.

▲▽

Ray’s blue eyes immediately alight upon a glittering new tombstone.

She comes closer to it, walking across the damp earth and between the other gravestones.

“…”

The grave, which gleams unnaturally in this room completely devoid of any presence of life, has tiny letters neatly engraved in it.

“Huh? What is it? Somethin’ written there?”

“…A name.” With a closed-off expression, she gazes at the letters lovingly carved into the stone.

“It’s a gravestone, so that’s obvious. What’re ya so surprised about?” the man asks carelessly, peering into her paling face.

“…It’s my name. My name is on it.” Ray doesn’t take her eyes off the tombstone despite feeling his gaze upon her. Her voice is strained. This glistening new grave has “Rachel Gardner” emblazoned upon it.

“…That so,” Zack mutters. He can’t read that name. He doesn’t even know her name in the first place. So even if he would have been able to read, he wouldn’t have known it to be Ray’s name.

“Then, is this one mine?”

In front of Ray’s tombstone is what looks like an enormous boulder, one that might have been used for carving. It’s as if someone had simply abandoned it there. It was probably prepared in a hurry as soon as Zack had been called a sacrifice. Having lived in this building for a while, he quickly understands that it’s the work of the master of this floor.

“…Damnit, I’m not even dead yet and he’s makin’ me a grave. That pisses me off. I wanna smash it.”

Zack glowers at the boulder, an enormous contrast to Ray’s immaculately carved gravestone. His dirty palm squeezes around the scythe slung over his shoulder.

(…Stop makin’ such disgusting things, damnit.)

“Your scythe will be the one to break first.” Despite warning him in that calm voice, she continues to stare at her gleaming grave.

“Shut up, I know that. Stop starin’ at that thing like an idiot.”

“I’m not staring.”

“Hmph, whatever. Sorry, unlike you, I don’t wanna die.” Zack progresses further into the room as he speaks. When he does, he notices an enormous crack in the brick wall, perhaps because it was brittle.

“Hey, hey…just how beat up is this place?”

In response to his voice, the girl turns toward the man and rushes up to him, peering into the crack with him. It feels like it’s trying to invite her inside.

(I wonder where it leads to…what’s inside?)

“It looks pretty deep…”

“Is it all right if I go in?” Ray suggests, thinking that Zack probably wouldn’t be able to fit.

“Hah? D’ya think you’ll run away’n’get out of here by yerself?” Zack’s voice is threatening, as if he doesn’t trust her.

“I won’t run away. …You haven’t killed me yet.” The girl unflinchingly meets his gaze.

(Did that bastard Danny drug her or something…?)

Zack instinctively turns his gaze away.

Certainly, on his floor, Ray’s reactions had seemed a bit weak in comparison to other sacrifice’s – but she’d still shown him a girlish despair and fear. She hadn’t been so calm or assertive. And Zack feels strangely uneasy about her abrupt change.

“You were…seriously creepy right now…”

(Creepy?)

Ray’s head tilts slightly at Zack’s unexpected reaction. She hadn’t had any intention to make him think she was creepy.

“…Well, whatever. It’s not like we can just stand here’n’do nothing. Go on and get back here.” Zack’s speech is half-hearted. He doesn’t want to think, he just wants to find a way out of this building as fast as possible.

“Okay.”

“And if ya die on the way there, make sure to tell me.”

(…Die on the way…?)

“…If I’m dead, I can’t tell you.” Though she’d thought for a short period of time before responding, she does so with her usual composed expression.

“…”

“…”

In the silence, Zack abruptly comes to realise just how illogical his statement had been.

“…Th-then at least make yerself useful before ya die!”

Reddening slightly beneath his bandages in embarrassment, he lightly smacks Ray on the rear.

Useful…

“…All right.”

Staggering slightly from the impact, she looks up into Zack’s face and firmly nods her head. But she hesitates stepping into the crevice. She feels like she wants to stare at that gravestone – with her name upon it – for a little longer.

“Hey, go already! I don’t got a lot of patience.” Unable to bear seeing her in such a state, Zack urges her forward with an irritated tone of voice.

“Okay. Also, I want you to look for something, like a card,” she suddenly requests. On B7, B6, and B5, she had needed a card to get to the elevator.

“Yeah, all right.”

“…And.”

“Hah?! There’s something else?!”

“If you could…please don’t destroy my grave.”

As she asks this, her face seems just a little bit sorrowful.

She doesn’t know who made that grave. But, the truth that her grave exists somewhere in this world…eases her heart. And it seems to beat just a little faster.

Without waiting for a reply, she squeezes her delicate body into the gap in the wall.

“…Who cares.”

Left alone among the graves, Zack mumbles to himself.

▲▽

Ray proceeds through the cramped space.

It’s gloomy, like a cave, and she can barely see. Dirt trickles from the ceiling down in front of her; the sensation is almost choking. Ray moves forth, trying not to breathe in the stale air – and suddenly the path in front of her opens up into a small, cramped room. It almost looks like a secret base of some kind. A lightbulb above bathes the room in a warm orange glow that seems to cut through the unpleasant chill she feels.

(A room for building graves…?)

In the centre of the room is a large work desk. On top of it are various items carelessly left there, such as a catalogue for gravestones and papers with tombstone designs drawn on them.

(…What’s this?)

There’s some kind of blue notebook lying open on the table.

(There’s probably something written in that.)

There might be something about the building in that notebook… With that thought in mind, Ray peers at the page the book has been left open on. The childish handwriting reveals a strange message.

I learned about her for the first time today.

I was curious about her for a long time. But I never really knew about her!

I want to meet her, but he’s in the way. She has a really pretty voice!

She’s definitely, definitely a wonderful girl. I have no doubts about it!

After all, I fell in love with her at first sight.

Ah, this is bad…I have to make special preparations for her!

Something I made for her, a special place only for her – a place where she can eternally slumber.

She reads the odd note with a dubious expression.

(Someone’s diary…? …Whose room is this?)

There’s another door further in the room. Approaching it slowly, she places her hand upon the knob and turns it. But it won’t open.

(It’s locked…how do I open it?)

Her gaze alights on the scattered grave blueprints.

(…There might be some clues in here…)

Just as this thought comes to mind, she hears a terrible racket coming from the place Zack waits for her – the First Cemetery.

(…So loud. What is he doing?)

▲▽

Having been left alone in the graveyard, the creepiness of the room only seems to grow. He feels as if he’s been abandoned for a different world entirely.

“Damnit, even if I look around, there’s only graves in here.”

(And these graves are seriously annoying.)

Zack tch’s quietly to himself as he stares at the roughly hewn stone, likely the grave meant for himself.

(I wanna break it…)

However, even he knows that Ray is right – if he tries smashing it, his scythe’s blade will what breaks first.

(Isn’t there anything else in here?)

As he looks around, his gaze abruptly alights upon a pickaxe left leaning against one of the tombstones. It was probably left by whoever was digging up the earth.

(A pickaxe…)

Zack smirks and picks it up. Since it isn’t his own weapon, he has no qualms about breaking it.

(This damn gravestone…)

“I’m gonna smash it!”

Having decided this, he begins to laugh. It isn’t that he’s having fun. He’s simply disgusted that his grave would exist here.

(I’m not plannin’ on dyin’ yet!)

A loud clang echoes through the chamber as he strikes the grave with the pickaxe. But it doesn’t crumble.

(It’s hard…)

It won’t break from such a strike. The blade of the pickaxe is a bit chipped now.

“Hah – don’t be so tough when yer such a shitty piece of work!”

He wonders why. There are – emotions he’s never felt before welling up deep inside his heart. He never felt like this when he was just the master of his floor, chasing after sacrifices. His voice grows harsh as if to convey his hatred for the one who had made this grave, and he strikes it again and again with the axe.

It’s like a switch has been flicked. He won’t stop. He can’t even stop himself. He slashes at the tombstone that had been crafted for him over and over again.

And at some point, it becomes merely a rubble of rocks scattered about the floor.

But the actual breaking of it feels even better to him than he had expected.

Not even a minute has passed, and it’s already lost all form.

(I did it!)

But for some reason, he still feels irritated. Zack glances around the room, clicking his tongue. Everywhere he looks, he sees only graves – which should be obvious, given that this room is called a cemetery. Beneath the graves are, of course, bodies. That’s nothing that brings joy to him.

(That’s right…I’ll break all of ‘em…!)

It’s damn creepy to be makin’ these things anyway. It’s pointless for these things to exist. No matter how much you pray, they’re dead; people don’t come back to life. Corpses are gross. I know that!

“Hyahahahahah!”

He doesn’t have an ounce of hesitation. As he thinks this to himself, mad laughter rushes up from his throat.

(Aah…I’ll smash every single last one of ‘em!)

Zack’s eyes gleam from the slits of the bandages wrapped around his face.

Raising the pickaxe high, he begins to slash at gravestone after gravestone, releasing his pent-up frustration and anger, transforming each grave into nothing more than rough piles of stones.

(Oh, that’s right, there were a bunch of graves over there, too – )

After demolishing the last grave in the First Cemetery, he rushes to the Second Cemetery as quickly as he can. He won’t be able to calm down until he destroys every single thing he can possibly break.

(‘Cause graves are useless!)

“Hyahahah!”

Laughing uncontrollably, Zack stares at the gravestones lined up in front of him, and begins to hit them with all his strength. Reigned by his instincts like this, he neither needs to think about nor remember anything. The only thing he abides by is the strange elation filling him up.

And in just a few minutes, he’s mercilessly ruined each and every one of the gravestones.

At some point, there had been the sound of a switch flipping, or perhaps something breaking, but Zack had not paid it any bit of mind.

(Is this all of ‘em?)

Feeling somehow satisfied and slowly regaining his composure, the man briskly returns to the First Cemetery.

Somewhat taken aback, he gazes at the destruction he’s caused, before his eyes land upon the monument with Ray’s name engraved upon it. It looks so very different from the other graves that he had forgotten to smash it.

“If you could…please don’t destroy my grave.”

But he remembers that request. Zack feels his strength leave his body, as if a button has suddenly been pressed.

(…She asked me not to break it…)

He doesn’t care about what she wants –

But for some reason he can’t bring himself to go against her. He feels like he shouldn’t break that grave.

“…”

Dropping the pickaxe to the ground, he sprawls out in front of Ray’s grave, as if exhausted.

What d’ya need a grave like this for…

▲▽

As that unpleasant sound rings out over and over again, Ray stares down at the grave blueprints. There’s some sort of strange equation written in them. It’s as if it points to the location of something, though it doesn’t state precisely what that thing is.

(Maybe…there’s a switch to open the door beneath one of the graves?)

Putting together the numbers in the formula and recalling the arrangement of the graves in the room, Ray becomes certain that this is true. But the moment she comes to this conclusion, she hears a beeping sound from the door.

(…?!)

Turning toward it, she comes nearer to the door. She gently holds the knob, and though she hasn’t done anything, it’s unlocked.

(It was definitely locked earlier… Did he open it? How…?)

Feeling somewhat suspicious, she opens the door and proceeds through it. On the other side is a large room. Perhaps it’s a reference room of some kind; the walls are lined with shelves so full of books that there is not a single space between any of them.

Ray selects one of the books and pulls it out. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since she’s read one, but she feels strangely happy to be touching the pages. She has always enjoyed reading, ever since she was little. The words move her heart, and she reads again and again to remember each and every word.

That book was like that, too… Those words had seemed to become a part of her very being.

That book, the book she read that night, had held the word of God.

(But, that book isn’t here…)

As she recalls the contents of that particular text, she skims through the one in her hand to confirm its subject matter. It seems to be some sort of religious tome.

(…It’s not the God I know…)

With a cold gaze, she returns the book to its shelf. She has no interest in a fake God.

(What’s that?)

She sees some sort of large folder on one of the lower shelves. She carefully picks it up and opens it. It seems to be composed of a large number of resumes or profiles. The first page is about Watkin Beckett, age 36.

(Watkin Beckett…)

Ray remembers this name. This is the name she had read on the rotten body in the fridge.

There is a picture of Beckett on the file. It’s an image of the man on a plain black and white background, smiling.

The next page has a picture of a man who looks similar to the one Ray had seen in the open grave.

(Is this a list of people who have come here…?)

Thinking to herself, she turns through the pages with her ghostly pale hand that looks as if it knows no defilement. And finally stops at a particular page, heart jerking in her chest as her eyes go wide. There is something about her written here as well.

Rachel Gardner.

There is, of course, a picture of herself. She has a vague recollection that this is a picture Danny took of her when she first came in for counselling.

(…Oh…)

For a moment, Ray reads the profile as if it were written about someone else. When she had laid on that operating table, she had finally known about herself and her past better than anyone else. But she still can’t remember why she had come to this building.

(…Why was I taken here…?)

She sighs a little.

But it might be better that I can’t remember…it probably would have been better to not remember any of this…

Feeling rather despondent, she turns another page. At the final one, her hand comes to an involuntary stop.

(Is this…him…?)

Her gaze falls upon what is unmistakably a picture of Zack.

(He killed people at the institution he lived in? Then he was involved in other murders…and I guess he was killing people in here, too…)

Right now, he’s on the run…but I wonder how many he’s killed…?

She unconsciously reads the words on the resume one more time. It’s not that she wants to know about Zack’s past. She simply has an instinctual feeling that she must know about him.

“It seems he is extremely responsive to human emotion.”

(…Human emotion…)

“Don’t run around all happy like. …Whenever I see someone lookin’ too happy, I…just get the urge to kill ‘em.”

Those words surface within Ray’s mind.

(I…don’t look happy. I guess that’s why Zack can’t bring himself to kill me…)

Feeling rather melancholic, she closes the folder. And at that moment, a soft voice makes its way to her ears.

…Hey, I know your wish. That’s why I’m going to see you so I can grant it for you.

It’s an unsettling voice, accompanied by childish laughter.

“…Is someone here…?”

Ray looks around questioningly, trying to dispel her fear. But there’s no one there, and no one answers her.

(…A ghost?)

No. Feeling a bit frightened of such an unknown existence, she moves in the direction of the voice…further into the room. It continues on into a passageway that abruptly ends. For some reason, there appears to be some sort of circular indentation in the ground.

(What is this…?)

She steps into the cavity, but nothing happens.

Is there…some other mechanism?

(Anyway, I’ll take those profiles and go back for now.)

Turning back, she takes the files about herself and Zack and makes her way back to the First Cemetery.

▲▽

(…They’re all broken.)

The cemetery is quiet, and doesn’t look at all like it had previously.

“Um…”

Dubiously, she steps in front of her grave and peers down into Zack’s face. He lays upon the ground as if sulking.

“Ah? What are ya doin’?! Yer slow!” In reaction to her voice, the man stands up.

“…That’s what I want to say,” Ray mutters as she stares at the graves brought to ruin. But it’s easy for her to understand that he must have done this because she’d asked him to wait, and he’d lost patience.

But…he didn’t break mine.

(Did he leave it because I asked?)

“So, what did ya find?” Zack asks her, completely nonchalant about the state of the room.

“Um, I found some sort of reference room with a bunch of resumes.”

“Hah? Re-su-me?”

(What’s a resume…?)

“Yes. See, Rachel Gardner…this is a paper with things written about me.” She speaks disinterestedly – this is how she tells Zack her name for the first time – and holds out the paper to him.

(Ra…chel Gardner…?)

But he can’t remember that name. And even if he looks at that profile, he can’t read it.

(I can’t read this…)

The only thing he’s aware of is Ray’s picture. And the Ray in the picture just looks like a beautiful girl to him, a girl completely free of troubles. It looks like she has no reason to want to die.

“I dunno what this is, whether it’s a re-su-me or whatever the hell, but I can’t read it.” Zack speaks without hesitation. Even if he holds something with writing in his hand, he can’t make heads or tails of it. Every single thing just seems annoying and pointless.

“Right…”

(He can’t read…)

That makes Ray feel a little strange. Never before has she met an adult who can’t read. So she’s a little curious as to how he sees letters. Do they look like pictures to him?

“So you don’t need that?” she asks, recalling what was written on her profile.

“No, can’t do anything with it, anyway… And all it does is tell us stuff about you.” Zack’s words sound like a declaration as he drops the piece of paper to the ground.

“Yeah…”

(All it does…)

For some reason, those words stir Ray’s heart.

“So, what’s that one about?” Zack jerks his chin at the other paper Ray holds.

“This one…says something…about someone named Isaac. …Is that you?” Holding out the paper, the girl stares straight at him.

“…Yeah, that’s right. Isaac Foster is me.” Scowling slightly at her, Zack’s expression seems to become slightly more mature.

“So, what did ya think after readin’ that?”

(What did I think…?)

For an instant, she can’t answer.

What did I think? His past…doesn’t concern me. After all, I just want him to kill me…

After they get out, she’ll be able to get Zack to kill her. To Ray, that promise is everything.

“…Nothing. This is just a paper about you. Nothing more than that.” Ray answers coldly, staring at the profile.

Perhaps she had used Zack’s words on purpose, or perhaps she had simply unconsciously taken a liking to how he had put it.

But Zack strangely dislikes Ray’s wooden manner of speaking.

(‘Cause she didn’t think at all, just said what sounded right, yeah…?)

“Yer not scared of me?” Zack’s words are deliberately calm.

“…Scared? No, I’m not,” the girl replies to him nonchalantly. After remembering everything, she no longer feels frightened. It’s scarier to be alive right now.

“Huuuh…” With a keen gaze, Zack stares into her blue eyes. He has no idea what she’s thinking.

Not scared, huh…

“Oh, come to think of it, I once knew a woman who said the same stuff as you…” His hand tightens around his scythe. And, as if he’s overlapped Ray with that woman in his mind, he begins to tell her of a memory he doesn’t particularly want to recall.

▲▽

…I wonder how many years ago that was.

“You’re Isaac Foster? I’ve been a huge fan ever since I saw you in the news!”

The moment that woman saw my face, her eyes began to shine. It was the first time anyone had ever said anything like that to me.

“Ah…? A fan?”

I’d thought about killing her as soon as I caught her…but I guess I let my guard down a little.

“Yes! So, I’m not scared of you.” She smiled as she spoke.

Her confident attitude intrigued me, so I gave her five seconds to run instead of three. Her face grew pale and she began to struggle violently.

(Ah…what should I do…)

Should I let her go…?

For a moment, I thought of something stupid like that. So, to test her, I said –

“Yer my fan, right? Stop strugglin’ if yer not afraid.”

And –

“Are you stupid?! I’m not your fan! I just said that because I didn’t want you to kill me! You monster!”

She started to scream –

▲▽

“I…hate liars. So, I killed her.”

Zack speaks coldly, as if he can remember that moment vividly. He doesn’t know why, but the memories he wants to forget never seem to fade.

Nevertheless, he’s both disgusted and surprised with himself that he would start talking about such a thing simply out of a singleminded desire to scare Ray.

(I hate liars…)

“…Does that story have anything to do with how I can make you kill me?” After thinking a moment, Ray asks him this with an utterly straight face.

“…Ah?”

“If I take those steps, will you kill me? Oh, maybe I should be a fan of yours, too?”

(He gave me three seconds that time…)

“Hah…? What are ya talkin’ about?” Zack stares at her, open-mouthed, disappointed by her half-insane trail of thought. He’d made that promise with her, but he’s never met someone who would say such a silly thing when they might be in danger of being killed.

“…Am I wrong?” Ray’s eyebrows furrow together. She has absolutely no self-awareness that what she said was strange.

…Ah, that’s right…she wants me to kill her!

(Why did I tell her all that…)

I want you to kill me – as he remembers that completely ungirlish request, this whole debacle suddenly seems ridiculous to him. And trying to make someone who wants to die be afraid of him was his first mistake.

“…Whatever. Anyway, why aren’t ya scared of me?” he asks her somewhat exasperatedly. He regrets telling her that stupid old story.

“I don’t know anything about you.”

“Hah? You don’t know…ya read that thing, didn’t ya?”

“I did. But, I just met you, so…I don’t know much about you yet.”

Now that she says it, that’s true. It feels kinda weird ‘cause of that strange promise, but it’s true. We’ve only just met.

Despite her monotonous words, Zack finds himself agreeing with her.

“…That so. Then, was there anything else?” Feeling somehow defeated, he weakens his grip on his scythe as he asks his next question in an attempt to change the subject.

“Um, I heard a voice.”

“A voice?”

“Yes, a boy’s. He said he knew my wish…” She still clearly remembers that voice.

“Hah?! That’s creepy!”

“Yeah. But I didn’t see him. Also, I found a dead end. There was some kind of hollow in the floor. It must be a part of some sort of mechanism…”

Though Zack seems strangely surprised, Ray completely forgets to tell him that the voice had said he wanted to meet her to grant the wish, and continues on with her report.

“What kinda mechanism?”

“Probably a door will open somewhere. Since there’s nowhere else we can go.”

Nothing had happened when she had stepped in that indentation in the hallway. So Ray has come to the conclusion that there must be an additional one somewhere, and that the two work in unison.

“Yeah, probably.”

“Yeah. So I want to go look for it.”

She has a bit of a hunch. In front of the elevator, in that pool…she feels like that hadn’t been a dead body. Thinking carefully, nothing had been suspended in the water, so those shapes could not have been human.

“Aah, I get it. But first, I gotta do something.” Zack stares directly in front of him as he speaks. He sounds annoyed.

“What…?”

Zack is staring at Ray’s grave. She has a bad feeling. She has an uncomfortable idea of what he wants to do.

“This grave…” Mumbling to himself, Zack approaches the tombstone with Ray’s name. And, staring fixatedly at the grotesquely gleaming gravestone, he retrieves the pickaxe he’s discarded to the floor. Ray has the feeling her misgivings were correct.

“This grave pisses me off so much that I gotta destroy it…!” With a bold grin, he swings the pickaxe toward that glittering tombstone with all his might.

“…Wait!” Ray lets out a small cry that she isn’t even consciously aware of. But Zack can’t stop himself. He simply thinks of the person who had made that grave as he mercilessly crushes it into smithereens.

“…”

Ray stares at the tombstone dumbfoundedly. She’s unbelievably sad. She feels as if the place she belongs in has been razed from this world.

“Hey, yer grave ain’t here. Ya only get t’ die after I get out of here.” Zack declares this, seeing her look so despondent.

Ray twitches slightly, widening her eyes.

“…Yeah.” And, looking up at him, Ray nods, though somewhat dispirited.

Will Zack…really kill me…?

She still can’t truly believe those words. Zack might simply want to get out of here. But…when Zack had said he hated liars, his eyes had been frighteningly earnest.

(I want him to kill me already…)

She thinks that often. Maybe when she had first encountered Zack, she shouldn’t have run – then he would have just killed her. In her frozen heart, Ray thinks about that for a little bit.

▲▽

Shortly after, Ray leads Zack to the elevator with heavy footsteps. She has to ascertain whether or not that thing at the bottom of the pool is a part of the mechanism. The man, for his part, looks pleased.

Rushing to the water, Ray peers into the pool. As she expected, there’s a large switch of a similar type as in that hallway.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Um, I’m not sure if that’s the mechanism, but I want you to go over there and stand on that switch.” Ray points at the switch in the pool.

“Ah?! Go in the water? Me?!” Zack’s eyebrows lift. Even if this wasn’t such a cold floor, he still wouldn’t want to get into that water. It smells gross, like chemicals.

“…If you don’t want to, you don’t need to.” Ray’s arm drops as she looks at Zack’s clearly unsettled expression.

“Hey, I didn’t say I didn’t want to!”

“But your face says you don’t want to.”

“Aah?! There’s nothin’ wrong with me makin’ a face like that! Just t’ let ya know, I ain’t plannin’ on dyin’ here, unlike you.”

“Then, I want us to cooperate…”

“Yeah, I get it, even if ya don’t tell me. I just gotta get in, right, right?!” Swearing angrily to himself, the man gets into the pool and wades to the area she’d pointed out to him. What he’s looking for is probably a metre in. The entire lower half of his body is submerged in water.

“Damnit, this pisses me off…’n it’s cold…” It’s even colder than he had expected; if he stays in there too long, he feels like his body might start to freeze over.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t matter! I just gotta get on this, yeah?!” Mumbling complaints, he steps upon the swtich. It makes a small, pleasant noise.

“Yeah.”

As she nods deeply, she notices a small memo pad at her feet, as if someone had dropped it there.

(…What is this?)

She slowly picks it up. It feels as if someone had been touching it recently; it’s ever so slightly damp with water.

I’ll lend you a hand.

If you want to suffer, I’ll make you suffer. If you want it to be peaceful, I’ll be nice. I’ll let you choose what you want.

Tell me, how do you want to die?

The writing is childish, just like in the note she had read earlier. She doesn’t know who wrote it. But she’s certain that it is addressed to her.

(That notebook, too…)

A place where she can eternally slumber.

Recalling the note, she ponders a bit. Since the person isn’t Zack, she might be able to get them to kill her right away… Her heart stirs.

“Hey, what are ya doin’?”

For some reason, Zack stands straight in the cold water, staring directly at her.

“I found a note…it says ‘I can kill you’.” Despite her inexpressiveness, her face trembles slightly with the thought of someone else killing her. Zack’s face twitches in annoyance.

“Ah? Kill you?” For some reason, blood rushes to his head.

Don’t underestimate me.

“Give me that.” Stepping off from the switch, Zack approaches the side of the pool and forcibly yanks the paper from her hands. Then he tears it up into small pieces, dropping them in the water.

“Listen here. Don’t ya go thinkin’ about gettin’ someone else t’ kill ya! You’ll piss me off if I won’t be able to get out of here.”

“Right…but will you really be able to kill me? Since I’m boring…” Ray’s voice is so soft it seems like it might completely vanish. She’s concerned that he won’t kill her when they get out. She wants to disappear from this unhappy world as soon as possible.

But Zack is simply fed up by her trying words.

“If ya want t’ die, why don’t ya just kill yerself…?”

For some reason, the thought that she could be killed by someone else irritates him. But when he looks into her eyes, like a still lake – any desire to kill melts away.

“…Because suicide isn’t allowed.” After a long silence, Ray finally speaks, her words like scatters of rainfall.

“Aah? Why’s that?”

“….God…because God said so.” Ray’s eyes grow distant. She recalls the book she had read that moonlit night. But Zack ridicules her serious words.

“Heh…God, huh. Then put some effort into makin’ me want t’ kill ya.”

(Effort…?)

Ray can’t think of anything. After all, to this man, killing someone must be as easy as eating a piece of candy. That was how he had killed Doctor Danny. He’d cut through his body without an ounce of hesitation. But when Ray asks him to kill her, he won’t. And she can’t understand why that is.

“What should I…?”

“Huh? Be useful. And if ya want me t’ kill ya, stop makin’ that boring face. If you’re a human…you can get angry, and cry, and stuff like that, right?”

“Get angry, or cry…?” He probably doesn’t like expressionless faces. Thinking this, she tries to make some sort of face. And though she childishly tries to do so, her eyes remain utterly dead.

“Do ya even got face muscles…? Maybe yer already dead, or a ghost or somethin’.” Zack seems to come to a similar conclusion. Though a ghost likely wouldn’t wish someone to kill them.

(A ghost…)

Ray’s eyebrows lower slightly. It’s rather irritating for him to call her a ghost.

“…I’m alive, that’s why I want you to kill me.”

“Argh, I get it. C’mon, try smiling.” Despite her dark expression, the man continues to lightly give her orders.

(Smile.)

Perhaps that’s proof that she’s alive.

“…How is this?” The corners of her lips pull up in a faint curve. She tries with all her might to smile. But as Zack had pointed out, it seems like her facial muscles simply don’t respond.

“Yer eyes are totally dead.” From Zack’s point of view, that was by no means a smile.

“I see…so it’s no good,” Ray mumbles, feeling discouraged. But that emotion also doesn’t reach Zack’s ears.

(…I don’t even know if she’s even alive.)

“But…I’m not a ghost,” Ray continues, as if she had read Zack’s mind. She thinks she won’t be afraid no matter how scary a person she sees. But she absolutely can’t accept that she’s a ghost. She feels so uncomfortable at the thought that Zack might see her as one that she unthinkingly rejects it.

“Hah? What, I know that! Ghosts don’t exist, idiot!”

“Eh…? They don’t?” Ray looks utterly surprised. She recalls a horror program she had watched one night when she couldn’t sleep, in a pitch-black room. Even if it had only been a fake ghost – after seeing it, she’d been so unnerved at seeing the strange spirit on the screen that she had thought they might truly exist. Sometimes, it frightened her to the point she couldn’t sleep. She truly doesn’t like ghosts.

“‘Course they don’t! Yer weird, that’s why I called ya a ghost! If they really existed, they’d prolly be around here somewhere.” Zack is strangely serious in response to her speculative questions about ghosts.

(Oh…)

Certainly, it wouldn’t be odd for them to be in a building like this. But, since she hasn’t seen any, it might really be as Zack says…they might not exist…

(Does she seriously believe in ghosts…?)

“Anyway, how old are ya?” Zack asks, abruptly curious. He can tell she’s younger than him just by looking at her…but she’s smart, believes in ghosts, and wants to die – he has no idea exactly how old she is.

“I’m 13…” She answers honestly. There’s no particular need to lie. And Zack had said that he hates liars.

(13, huh. Still a brat.)

“And you are?”

“Ah? I’m an adult,” he replies. He likes saying that – it’s cooler to say he’s an adult than to say he’s 20.

“…An adult?”

(Maybe 20?)

At only 13, being 20 years old seems quite a bit older than her. But the Zack in front of her doesn’t feel older. Perhaps the only thing that makes him seem older is the fact that he’s taller than her.

“Ah, but that doesn’t matter. Do something with that mechanism or whatever it is and get back here.”

(We just wasted time on dumb crap…)

He can’t just stay in this water forever. He’s getting a little irritated at the cold.

“Yeah. I’ll go check out the floor in the crack.”

Zack had been the one to ask about her age first…so, feeling somewhat gloomy, she turns toward the door. They can’t afford to prolong their conversation.

“And hurry it up!”

“Okay.” Nodding, Ray leaves.

As she walks back to the First Cemetery, her heart whirls a little as she recalls the words on the memo – I can kill you.

▲▽

Ray rushes back to the First Cemetery and squeezes herself through the crack in the wall.

The inside of the crevice is darker than earlier and it’s difficult to proceed. Ray expects that the light in the room within has gone out. Strangely, near the entrance, is a box with emergency light written on it.

(I don’t think this was here before…)

Feeling uneasy, she opens the box. Inside is an old flashlight, and underneath it is another piece of paper.

There’s nothing to worry about. Your wish and mine are a perfect fit!

This is probably another letter addressed to her. The writing is the same as the others before it.

She’s scared. And yet, at the same time, she feels drawn to the words written upon the note.

(Anyway, I have to go forward…)

Ray puts the paper into her pocket and proceeds under guidance of the thin light, walking down the hallway. As she walks into the reference room, she notices yet another memo, as if it had been waiting for her.

I’ll grant your wish. But I have a wish of my own.

(…My wish…)

Taking in a deep breath, Ray shuts her eyes as if to isolate herself from the rest of the world. And in that moment, she feels someone approaching her from behind. But when she opens her eyes and turns around, there is no one to be found.

(What…?)

It’s not a ghost. Zack had told her that they don’t exist. But she’s still a little frightened, so she quickens her pace to find that indentation and return to him.

As she had expected, the cavity is indeed a large switch.

(They really do work together…)

She sees yet another piece of paper on the switch.

If possible, I’d like you to offer yourself to me. After all, “mutual love” is the best!

(Mutual love…?)

Confused by such unusual words, her heart stirs nervously in her chest. A figurative question mark appears above her head. But now is not the time to concern herself with the notes. Zack is waiting for her in the cold water. Despite her hesitation, she brushes the paper aside and steps onto the switch.

At that moment, there’s a small click sound. Suddenly, the wall that had once been a dead end rises up to the ceiling like a pair of shutters.

(…So this wasn’t a wall after all.)

Despite her surprise, she walks further into the room. It stretches into a long hallway, at the end of which is a door with a plaque that reads “Electrical Room / Third Cemetery”.

(Electrical room…there might be an elevator in there. I’ll check it out.)

She balls her hand into a tight fist. But as she begins to walk, yet another memo drifts down in front of her eyes – like a flower petal.

I know all about you. You want to die, right? So, please – say “yes”.

▲▽

(She’s damn slow…)

She probably ran – nah, prolly not. She said she can’t kill herself…

As Ray was exploring the crevice in the Second Cemetery, Zack waits, alone, in the cold water, impatient and irritable.

“But will you really be able to kill me? Since I’m boring…”

The girl’s concerned words unexpectedly cross through his mind.

(She wants me to kill her, but she’s got such a boring face…)

Zack sighs a little.

Why? He has absolutely no intent to kill that girl. This has never happened to him before. Whenever he looks into those dead eyes, all desires of killing simply vanish. It might be simply because she’d asked him to kill her – but he has the feeling that that isn’t the only reason. But he has no idea what else it could be.

“…’Kill me’, huh.” He recalls the stiff farce of a smile she had showed him.

(Well…that wouldn’t have been too bad if her eyes weren’t dead…)

“Haaah…”

Zack emits an enormous yawn as if to reset his brain.

(I’m probably gonna freeze if I stay in here any longer. I can prolly get out now…)

He pulls himself out of the pool.

(I’m all soaked…)

He takes off his red pants and wrings them out with both hands to get the water out. It won’t get dry that easily, but he has no other change of clothes, so his only choice is to put them back on.

(Anyway, what’s she doing?)

Irritably pulling the soaked pants on, he heads to the cemetery Ray had gone to. On the way there, for some reason Ray’s words slice through his mind.

“Because God said so.”

God, huh…she believes in something like that…

“God…doesn’t exist…”

Having arrived at the First Cemetery, he sighs slightly, staring at the graves he destroyed earlier. There’s probably sacrifices he killed on his own floor here somewhere. He can’t remember what sort of expressions they had anymore. Abruptly, he feels like he’s going to remember something unpleasant.

“Argh – !”

In order to quell the memories, he lets out a yell – and it’s at that moment that some sort of unpleasant sound reverberates throughout the floor, like something is about to break.

(Wh-what…?!)

And then all the lights go out, leaving Zack in complete and utter darkness.

“You grave destroyer.”

“Aah…?”

Though he can’t see, Zack quickly realises that the owner of that voice is the master of this floor – a young boy named Eddie. Eddie always retrieves the bodies Zack leaves. So, they’ve seen each other many times.

“Hey, Zack. It’s been a while.”

The lights flicker on, and, as he’d suspected, Eddie stands in front of him. As usual, he wears that ever-creepy, potato-like mask.

“What are ya doin’, Eddie?” He glowers at the boy, who looks strangely exhilarated.

“That’s what I want to ask you! I went to the trouble of preparing your grave, but you went and destroyed it! Why would you do that?” Eddie’s expression does a complete 180 degree flip as he begins to glare at the man in turn. Though it’s difficult for them to see each other’s expressions properly – due to the bandages and the mask – they both have an understanding of what the other is thinking.

“Heh, my grave was pretty lame, doncha think?” Zack brandishes his scythe at Eddie. But the lights flicker off yet again, and Eddie’s form disappears.

“Sorry, I made yours in a hurry. But a grave like that is fine for you, right? It’s sloppy and crude, just like you!”

“Aah? Want me to make you yer own grave first?” In the darkness, the words drift toward him as if to fan the flames of his ire, and, annoyed, Zack turns in the direction of the voice and brings down his scythe.

(Tch…it’s dark.)

But, due to the darkness, he doesn’t touch him.

Eddie laughs as the man spins in fruitless circles.

“I fell in love with her at first sight…”

And, in the darkness like night, Eddie begins to speak of his idealisation.

“I’m always making graves for the other people killed here, but it’s been a little boring lately. I like making graves, but I hold no love for the people inside them…that’s not beautiful. I want to make my ideal grave for that girl!”

(That girl – is he talking about her?)

Seeing that Zack appears to be at a loss within the shadows, Eddie continues to speak, bouncing excitedly.

“You know, we’re probably close in age, and above all else, I can understand how she feels! Loving and being loved, mutual love…! It has to be way lovelier than some one-sided, messed up corpse, don’t you think? Well, if she wants…I don’t mind if it’s messy, too.”

It’s easy to read his desire to kill Ray as well as his freshly budding young love for her.

“Stop talkin’ about creepy shit.”

“Creepy…? What are you talking about? You’re way older than me, but you haven’t even felt love for a girl yet? You really are a savage. Oh, I truly am…far more perfect for her aesthetics than someone like you! That’s why I’m going to be the one to kill her. Don’t get in my way!”

The boy’s laughter wells up within the room. It grows further and further away as he continues to laugh, unable to contain the triumphant sound.

And, once his presence has completely left the room, there’s an echoing sound as the lights flicker on once more. Zack looks around in the dazzling light, searching for Eddie. But he’s nowhere to be found.

(Hey, hey, is that gravedigging brat trying to one-up me…?)

He fell in love with her at first sight?

He’s going to kill her?

“What’s he talkin’ about, love…fuckin’ gross that a brat would want to do something like that!”

All at once, shame toward himself and disgust of the one-sided emotions Eddie has toward Ray combine, and blood rushes to his head so violently he can hardly think straight.

Like I’d let a shithead like him kill her!

He immediately peers into the crevice Ray had gone through.

(She got in through here…)

“Hey, get back here!” he shouts into the crack somewhat impatiently.

“I told ya t’ come back!”

However, his words don’t reach her.

“Argh, damnit…she can’t hear me!”

(How far in did she go…?!)

Suddenly, Zack recalls the storage room. If there’s another room in that crack, it probably comes up to behind that one.

(I’ll go check it out…)

If she dies now, that’ll be a problem!

▲▽

Suddenly, Ray unthinkingly picks up that strange note.

I know all about you. You want to die, right? So, please – say “yes”.

Up till now, the memos she had received had all been vague – and her heart stirs with unease at the words spelled out so clearly on the paper. But at the same time, she also feels strangely excited.

At that moment, the light in her hand begins to flicker restlessly.

(The light… I guess the batteries are going out. I’ll go back.)

She can’t have Zack waiting for her in that chilly water forever. As she turns to go back to the First Cemetery, the flashlight completely shuts off. She can see absolutely nothing.

…Hey, Rachel, I can grant your wish.

(Eh…?)

And she can hear that strange, childish voice, right next to her ear.

She whirls around, feeling an uncomfortable chill. The flashlight flickers on. Who she sees standing behind her is a short boy wearing a strange mask – Eddie.

Observing Ray from beneath his mask, Eddie becomes ever more enchanted by her beauty. She’s even more lovely than she had looked from far off. Yes…rather than cute, “beautiful” is a far more accurate word to describe her.

“Ahahah, you don’t need to be so startled. Rachel, did you read all my love letters?” Bouncing like a young child, Eddie approaches her.

Unnerved by his strange movements, Ray takes several steps back. Even without being told, she’s quick to come to the conclusion that he must be this floor’s master. Zack’s form enters her mind. He’s definitely waiting for her.

(I have to get back…)

However, the moment she thinks this and turns away from Eddie, the wall that had risen up earlier comes down to block her path, as if to imprison her.

“You don’t need to run away, Rachel. …I wouldn’t just kill you, unlike some other people here. And I know your wish.”

“…My wish,” Ray murmurs, despite feeling unease at being locked within the room.

“Yes, that’s right. …I know all about you. About…your father and mother, about all the people around you, everything!” Eddie steps closer and closer to her as he speaks in a sweet voice as if reading from a picture book. “So, I can give you an easy death. That guy ruined your grave, but I can make you a perfect one again! …Hey, we seem to be close in age, right? So we fit together, don’t you think?”

Though Ray stares at him emotionlessly, as if his words have no meaning, Eddie continues to smile at her gently.

“Come on, try telling me your wish!” Despite feeling somewhat annoyed that Ray has yet to give him any kind of reaction, he continues to speak in a cheerful voice.

(Wish…my wish is…)

Ray gulps, and takes in a small breath.

She only has one wish. And that is for someone to kill her. And there is someone in front of her who would grant her that wish right now. That is undoubtedly the truth.

“…I want to die.” Ray gazes at the eye she can see through the slits of his mask – Eddie’s left eye – as she speaks.

“See, I was right! I can kill you, Rachel – so, say ‘yes’!” Eddie feels happy she has told him she wants to die. His eyes gleam with the delight of the possibility of making her his own.

“…”

“…I’ll kill you.”

But Ray remembers what Zack had told her.

Despite the fact that there is someone who would kill her right in front of her…Ray can’t say “yes”. The reason for that is, undoubtedly, the promise she had made with Zack. But it’s not because she would feel guilty for breaking that promise. Somewhere in her heart, Ray – had stopped thinking that she wants someone to kill her, and started thinking that she wants Zack to kill her.

“Come on, I’m getting impatient. Are you confused about something?”

Ray looks away from Eddie, who hangs his head glumly, and keeps silent.

“Is it…because of him?”

“…”

“Hey, why are you with Zack?” Seeing her completely disregard him in such a manner, Eddie begins to feel numb, and his voice becomes cold as he speaks to her.

“…I made a promise with him, that he’d kill me.” Ray finally answers his question. Whilst on the elevator on the way here, Zack’s words had echoed within her mind over and over.

“…Heh, that’s weird. How about I just kill you now instead of him?” Eddie’s voice drips with his discomfort. It’s not as if Ray absolutely has to be killed by Zack just because of some promise. On the contrary, according to the rules of this building, Eddie is the one who has the right to kill Ray, since he is the master of this floor.

“…But, then, he wouldn’t be able to get out of here,” Ray answers after thinking a moment.

Of course, her feelings of wanting to be killed right now have not changed. It’s not as if she isn’t moved by Eddie’s words. She’s certain he would kill her painlessly if she were to simply ask. But for some reason, she simply can’t feel as if she wants Eddie to kill her. Her heart is mysteriously occupied by Zack’s existence.

“What…but that doesn’t matter at all.” Eddie can no longer suppress his scornful laughter at how closely her answers are intertwined with the man.

“…Hey, Rachel, I’ll kill you… So, come on, just say ‘yes’!”

And, the moment he corners her against the wall –

“...Hey! Can ya hear me?!”

(…!)

From behind the wall, Ray can hear an irritated voice calling out.

“…Ah, he sounds so annoying…” Eddie sighs slightly.

There’s no doubt about it, the one shouting behind the wall – is Zack.

“Go on, choose. Do you want him to kill you, or me? …My beloved Rachel. I can most definitely give you a lovely sleep…” The childishness has left his voice – now, as Eddie stares into Ray’s eyes, he speaks to her almost seductively.

(Lovely…)

Ray can imagine herself being killed by Eddie. This might have been the first time someone had told her they loved her face to face. But in her imagination, she simply has a blank, doll-like face. That’s not what Zack would call a “good face”. She looks dead even before actually being killed.

“Hey, Eddie!”

“Yer ‘aesthetic’ stuff is pretty sloppy!”

“Yer sayin’ yer gonna kill her when her face is so boring?!”

In contrast to Ray, who sinks into her own thoughts, Zack grows irritated at Eddie’s words and shouts at them.

“Aah…just shut up already. I’m talking to Rachel right now.” Eddie’s voice sounds absolutely disgusted.

(…Talking…? Yer just manipulating her…!)

“Hey, Ray! Are you there?!”

“If ya can hear me, answer!”

He yells madly, unknowingly calling Ray’s name for the first time. The only sound that comes through to her is that shout of “Ray” that resonates within her.

“...Me?”

Surprised that he had said her name, she answers him.

“Yeah, obviously!”

“Don’t just go off and get yerself killed!”

“There are plenty of people who’d wanna kill ya in this building!”

“But I’m definiitely gonna be the one to do it...!”

“...I swear to God!”

In that moment, Ray – feels as if she can see in an infinite number of angel feathers fluttering before her eyes from the heavens.

Ring… The sound of a bell resonates around her.

“To God…?” she repeats with a quivering voice.

She doesn’t know if it’s normally moving or if it’s normally stock still…but right now, her quiet heart beats so harshly that she feels it might come to a halt entirely.

“…Yeah, that’s right…!”

“So, no one else besides me is gonna kill ya!”

Zack’s declaration is passionate. This might be the first time he’s ever raised his voice for someone else. The truth is that in his heart, he still can’t kill Ray, who is still so doll-like. But, for some reason – he doesn’t want someone else to kill Ray. He won’t allow it.

“…Okay.”

Ray nods her head, and yells loudly so her voice might reach the man behind the wall.

“Hit that wall as hard as you can…!”

She doesn’t want to be saved. She wants to see Zack right now.

Zack laughs broadly as he hears her request.

All the while, Eddie stares sorrowfully at Ray.

“Rachel, why?!”

But Eddie will no longer be reflected within Ray’s eyes. The only thing she sees is Zack.

The floor resonates with a harsh sound, as if the man were playing an instrument for her. And that sound catches at Ray’s small chest so harshly it hurts.

Bam, bam!

Bam, bam – !

The sound seems to intertwine with the beat of Ray’s heart, and grows ever louder, like a final crescendo of fireworks.

(Zack.)

Wrapped up in that sound, Ray’s heart begins to call that name for the first time.

And in that moment, the bams become louder than ever before.

And, with the shrill sound of an explosion, the wall finally crumbles. From the speckles of dust and rubble, the tall shadow of a man approaches.

“…Yo.” He smiles proudly at her.

“…” Keeping her heart under control, Ray stares directly at Zack. The ringing in her heart won’t stop. It’s almost like that night, that book…she feels the same sensations she had experienced when she had read the book written by God.

“Where’s the damn brat?” Having confirmed Ray’s safety with a look of relief, Zack quickly looks around the room. But Eddie has already concealed himself.

“Ohh…why, Rachel? There wouldn’t be a problem with me killing you… Do you really want him to kill you? I would definitely be better!”

Though he’s nowhere to be seen, he continues talking to Ray. It feels like he’s talking right next to her ear – but he truly isn’t there.

“Stop mumblin’ like that… Where are ya?! Get out here! I’ll kill ya!” Zack brandishes his scythe, raising his voice menacingly.

(…I don’t need Zack.)

“Rachel, I’ll kill you. – So, wait for me, okay?”

Eddie speaks calmly, as if completely ignoring Zack’s very existence.

(Rachel will definitely be mine. After all, I fell in love with her at first sight.)

Eddie’s voice fades away, and the sound of a door opening rings out through the room.

“Shit, that bastard ran away!” Zack stomps the ground. Then he turns to look at Ray, looking slightly angry.

“And you! Yer so weak! Why’d ya get caught by that shitty brat so easily?! Yer gonna die even if I don’t kill ya!”

“…Yeah.” Ray nods, though it seems as if she’s not wholly present in the moment.

“I’m definitely gonna be the one to do it…!”

“…I swear to God!”

Those words echo over and over in her head.

“Hey, are ya listenin t’ me?” Zack peers into the girl’s face. She doesn’t even twitch – it’s like she really has turned into a doll. “Hey!”

She finally seems to return to consciousness, and turns her face up toward him. Abruptly, she approaches him.

“Just now, you said…”

“Ah…?”

“God, God…you said…’I swear to God’… Will you really swear to God for me? Will you really swear to God to kill me…?” Ray unhesitatingly advances toward Zack, as if with the intent to corner him against the wall, repeating that word, God, over and over again. As Zack stares into her eyes, he can see some sort of concealed madness hidden within them.

(Wha…what’s she…?)

She’d been spaced out and quiet before, but now he feels a strange, ominous, unfamiliar presence from her.

“That’s what I said! I…hate…liars!” Despite his hesitation, he backs away slightly from her and shouts.

(Hate liars…)

“…I see. Okay. I’ll work hard. So I can be useful to you.”

Ray seems to regain her composure. After all, if Zack truly hates liars, then the oath he had just made to her would certainly be kept.

“Then good.” Now that the demon or whatever seems to have left Ray – Zack feels a bit relieved.

“…By the way, you said my name.” She suddenly remembers.

“Hey, Ray! Are you there?!”

That was what Zack had said back then. He had called her Ray.

“Oh, did I? But I don’t remember all of it. What was yer name again?”

“Rachel Gardner.” Ray gives her name just like when she had answered the computer on B7.

“That so. …I took ya along with me ‘cause I thought you’d be useful. …But yer also pretty troublesome.” Zack sighs as he speaks. “…Right? Ray.”

He stares at her with that glittering gold eye. Ray sees her expressionless self reflected within it. And she feels a bit strange. Perhaps because she tries to make some sort of expression.

(…Ray.)

It was the first time anyone had called her name like that. Unlike Eddie or Danny, Zack says her name not wanting anything of her. His voice is rough but still somehow gentle.

“So, what d’ya wanna do?” Zack asks, as if trying to take control of the situation.

“I heard a door opening somewhere just now. It’s probably that one.” Ray points at the door called Third Cemetery. “That kid is waiting…he said.”

“Annoying bastard. Well, I don’t wanna stay here any more anyway. Stinks of dirt. Let’s get outta here.”

“Yeah.”

Exchanging glances, the two of them continue down the gloomy hall toward the door.

▲▽

“I smell dirt…”

The corridor smells of damp earth. The plate on the door reads Third Cemetery, so the scent undoubtedly comes from there.

“He’s got even more graves? Don’t go jumpin’ in an open one.” Zack`s expression turns wry as he imagines the state of the room. Looking at her blank eyes, he figures she might do something dangerous like go off and die on her own.

“I said I wouldn’t commit suicide,” Ray declares, brushing his concerns aside. Her voice is clearly devoid of lies.

“Heheh, ya did, didn’t ya.”

(God…huh.)

Recalling Ray’s words, Zack opens the door, somewhat exasperated. The smell of soil is so strong as to be nauseating.

(…!)

“Hey!”

And among the massive quantity of graves within the room, Eddie stands near the entrance, holding a shovel.

“…You came, Rachel.” Eddie smiles softly beneath his mask, his gaze only on Ray.

(Killin’ this brat is just gonna be annoying…)

“Move, ya little shit,” Zack snaps harshly. Since Eddie keeps disrespecting him, he’s not in an especially good mood.

“Huh? Why should I listen to you?”

“’Cause I’ve been alive longer than ya!”

“Oh, that’s stupid. I’m really tired of talking with idiots.”

“Hah?!” Rage at Eddie’s attitude begins to flare within Zack’s heart.

(I’m gonna kill this brat!)

“Hey, Rachel, did you know what sort of person he is? He doesn’t know anything about beauty, and he was useless even in the past, too!”

“…I read that in his profile.” Rachel recalls the contents of the resume she had read. It was surely something Eddie had prepared.

“Then, why are you choosing Zack instead of me?! I can kill you!” Eddie’s voice grows hoarse, like a child wailing.

“…He swore to God for me…that he would kill me.” For an instant, those blue eyes that reflect nothing seem to shine.

“And to me, that is everything.”

Like the vision she’d seen earlier, angel feathers flutter before her eyes.

(To God…?)

Eddie’s eyes widen.

“…Hey, what’s with that God of yours? That’s weird. I didn’t hear anything like that from God.” With a bitter smile, Eddie thinks of the God he believes in. His God is different from Ray’s. “And, we don’t have that kind of freedom here. What we’ve been permitted to do here, is what we want on our own floors – and that includes…the right to kill.”

(…The right to kill.)

Ray looks to the ground.

(God wouldn’t give someone the right to kill…)

And thinks this deep in her heart.

“Hey, Rachel…will you just never accept me?”

Ray can see Eddie’s boyish round eyes through the holes in his mask.

“…The one who will kill me isn’t you.”

The one who will kill me…is that man…Zack.

Ray speaks in a voice far clearer than ever before as she thinks about what Zack had shouted at her from behind the wall.

“Hahahah! Ya heard her! Serves ya right, ya damn brat!” Zack laughs wholeheartedly at how mercilessly the girl responds to Eddie. He feels as if he’s won something.

(Not me…)

At that moment, Eddie’s heart becomes submerged with a past he doesn’t want to remember. It’s a memory of when he had still lived with his family –

▲▽

I had three other brothers. And my belongings were always passed down to me from my older brother.

I wanted new things. I wanted new things, that were only mine…

So I studied a lot. If I got good marks on a test… my parents got me what I wanted…like new toys or clothes. But even those would eventually be given to my younger brother.

But living things, and only living things, can’t be handed down or given away. In our house, there were many pets, like cats or birds, fish and bugs.

And of course, when we had them, they were “the household’s”. But there was always a single moment where I thought of them as “mine”. That was when I made graves for them. I was proud to make graves for them. I was able to make perfect graves for them.

The moment I buried them, I thought to myself, “Ah, this one is mine. In the end, I was able to bury this lovely one in a grave I made”. And I was happy.

One day, my older brother, emotionally unstable as if from unrequited love, vented his anger out on a bird, and killed it.

(How awful…even though this bird isn’t brother’s, he went and killed it!)

Despite my resentment, I made a grave for the bird. But I was unable to feel the joy of knowing it was mine.

The bird my brother had killed had been “stolen”, and it wasn’t mine anymore…

Next, our cat fell ill. We took him to the vet but were told his illness couldn’t be cured. So, he suffered terribly everyday.

“We can’t let him stay like this…how about we give him a peaceful death?” Mother said.

That night, I stole away that cat’s final moments with my own hands. I made him a grave. And I felt happier than I’d ever felt before. Seeing to his end, and making his grave…I truly felt, beyond a doubt, that that cat was mine…

▲▽

(So I have to kill Rachel, too…or else she won’t be mine.)

As if to chase away the past, Eddie’s fingers form into tight fists within his black gloves.

“Aah, what a shame. I wanted you to stay pretty even in death. Did you know? Graves are dark and cool, and they feel really nice…?”

‘”…I see,” Ray replies completely disinterestedly. It would be nice to pass away in such a grave.

“Hey, Rachel…let me at least put you there.”

(If I just put her in a grave, she’ll be mine…!)

Eddie quickly approaches her, and makes to grab her.

“…! What’re ya doin’!” Zack unthinkingly swings his scythe at Eddie.

“Ah, no! You thug! Murderer!” Eddie nimbly bolts out of the way and shouts at Zack. He gets away with only a scratch on his arm.

“Yer a murderer just like me!”

“Don’t liken me to you! No matter how strong you are, your head is empty! That’s why you’re always so angry, all you can do is run around! You can’t even do your job right and kill people properly!” Eddie angrily yells back at him. Ray watches their quarrel without expression. Eddie’s voice is that of a yet immature boy – she can’t see him as someone who lives here for the purpose of killing others.

“Hah? Yer tellin’ me that? You’re the one who’s all desperate! That’s a lot of frustration for a little brat! Don’t make me laugh.” Zack looks down at Eddie as if to provoke him.

“…Shut up, you idiot.” Eddie’s voice abruptly surpasses anger and suddenly becomes calm, hearing the way the man talks down to him. “I don’t care about you, I don’t need you. The one I want is Rachel.”

He turns to Ray and whispers as if reciting her a poem.

“Hey, Rachel…I’ll make you the most beautiful grave in the entire world, and hold you there for all eternity!”

To Eddie, this was a genuine, pure expression of his love.

“So…I’ll see to your end, Rachel…!”

As Eddie declares this, an unsettling sound reverberates around the room, and the floor is plunged into darkness.

“Ah, shit! Not again!” Unable to see once more, Zack feels a bit of anxiety. Ray might be killed by Eddie. He must avoid that outcome above all else. After all, he had promised Ray he would kill her.

“Hey, Ray! You go on ahead! This is an electrical room, right? So there’s gotta be a power source somewhere, yeah?! Put it on and get back here!” Zack calls out to Ray in a darkness so complete he can’t tell if his eyes are open or closed.

“Okay!” Despite her misgivings, Ray turns in the direction of the man’s voice, and pulls the flashlight out of her pocket. Then she begins to run.

(I have to find it – …But the flashlight doesn’t have much battery left…I have to hurry…!)

In the pitch darkness, Ray runs with only the unreliable flashlight to guide her way. The countless graves make the room seem like a labyrinth.

“…Hey, Rachel, where are you…?”

She can hear Eddie’s voice behind her.

(…I have to hurry!)

She sees a large machine. That’s definitely some sort of power supply. She runs toward it with all her strength and pulls a lever marked “B4 light”. In a single instant, the floor is illuminated. Ray stands at an elevated part of the room. And, looking down, she sees an enormous grave.

Standing in front of it is Eddie, overcome with surprise.

“Why, Rachel? I made your grave for you and everything…!” he laments, unable to understand why she would do such a thing. He gasps for breath, likely because he had so frantically run after her.

“…You don’t need to make my grave.” Somewhat out of breath herself, Ray replies to him coldly, shaking her head.

“Rachel, why would you say something like that?” Eddie’s voice trembles as he speaks. To him, Ray seems like ice that will never melt.

And Ray can see Zack, who had been chasing after them both.

“…That’s cause…ya got rejected!” Zack draws nearer to Eddie, who shouts childishly.

“…Don’t come near me…!”

Eddie’s voice roughens. He’d been so focused on chasing Ray that he had completely forgotten about Zack.

“Ray said she doesn’t desire yer damn grave.”

“…Liar.”

“I don’t tell lies. ‘Cause I hate liars.” Zack mercilessly presses forward, as if to drive the boy further into despair.

But why…I can make Rachel happy…

Someone always steals my precious things…

No…I’ll definitely take Rachel in the end!

Eddie turns to Ray and speaks quickly, as if trying to entreaty her.

“Hey, Rachel, stop hanging around this demon, and come inside my grave, okay? When you go in my grave, you’ll see, you won’t need to go home. You won’t have to go to that awful house with your parents…”

Looking straight at her, Eddie points his shovel at her.

(…Don’t need to go home.)

Those words reverberate in Ray’s heart, though she has no intention of going home even if she is able to get out of this building safely.

But the moment Zack sees Ray’s expression, that seems to waver for some reason, his irritation toward Eddie reaches its boiling point.

“Argh…you don’t shut up, do ya!”

He can’t afford to let Eddie get any closer to Ray. Because he’d promised that he would kill her.

“…Hey, if that grave is so nice, how ‘bout ya get in it first…?!”

(…!)

Eddie shudders at the villainous look in Zack’s eyes. But it’s too late –

Zack swings his scythe, and pierces Eddie’s chest in one swing.

A fountain of blood bursts from the boy’s chest, and in a single instant, his world is encroached with darkness. It’s not because the light has gone out – it’s because his life is just about to end.

(…Why?)

He can’t tell if he’s blind or if he’s in a pitch-black room anymore. All he’s conscious of is the bitterness of being unable to make Ray his.

“Oh, there’s a grave just perfect for ya here!” Seeing he truly is about to die, Zack grins, and throws him into the pit.

“Let’s cover ‘im up, too!” Speaking quickly, Zack picks up a gravestone that had been left on the ground, and shoves it onto the hole like a lid. Perhaps ironically, that was the new gravestone Eddie had just made for Ray.

“Hey, Ray, ya did good. He’s in his precious grave ‘cause of you! This conceited gravediggin’ bastard!” Zack laughs heartily.

(He said…that the graves feel nice, so he can probably go to heaven…)

Ray stares at the gravestone with near-transparent blue eyes, looking to be as if in prayer.

▲▽

“…Ah.”

At that moment, Ray becomes aware of a small card stuck in the other side of the stone. Descending, Ray pulls out her sewing set from her pocket and uses a needle to skillfully pull out the card.

“What’s that?”

“I think…it’s the card for the elevator.”

“Oh! We’ll finally get outta this shitty place.” Zack stretches out his body like a cat.

“Yeah.”

Ray puts the card into her pocket, then tugs at the hem of Zack’s hoodie.

“Hey…”

“…Ah?”

Somewhat unsettled by the cute action, Zack turns to look at her.

“Was I useful to you?” Ray asks in a serious voice as she looks up at the man, thirty centimetres taller than her.

“Uh…anyway, stop! Stop with that ‘you’ thing. It’s creepy.” *

“…Then, Isaac?” Ray tilts her head like a little bird.

“…Zack. Just Zack is fine,” Zack mutters as he turns his gaze away.

“Okay. Zack, was I useful?” She promptly corrects herself as she hurries after him.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Zack mumbles, scratching at his cheek. It’s a habit he has when he feels embarrassed.

“…I see. That’s good,” Ray whispers, and closes her eyes.

I swear…to God.

Those words still reverberate within her.

• Note: Ray uses a form of “you” that is polite. Zack doesn’t like it.

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