"I think I handled it well this time, Brother."
"Is that so? And did you stay to confirm the death?"
"Yeah."
Shoichi sighed, his voice cold. "XeXeeD is likely to remain comatose, so we got lucky. But if you had failed completely, I would have had to dispose of you too, you know."
"I… I know. I've learned my lesson," Kyoji stammered.
Kyoji replied as if it were a joke, but Shoichi's eyes remained deadly serious.
"Still, because he didn't die outright, there's a chance the drug might be traced back to us," Shoichi continued. "The possibility of them finding our route isn't zero."
"Well, Father will definitely hide the fact that the drugs were stolen," Kyoji added, trying to regain his footing. "He's the kind of man who only cares about himself, after all."
Shoichi nodded. "We should be fine for the time being. It doesn't look like the police have intervened yet."
"But modern forensics are incredible, aren't they? If they actually investigate, I wonder how much of a trail we left behind."
"I did my best to leave nothing, and I didn't take a single thing. But if they get serious… well, things might come to light. Still, we don't have criminal records. Identifying us from physical evidence alone should be impossible. There were no security cameras nearby, and there shouldn't have been any witnesses."
In truth, Kyoji had made a massive blunder regarding Tamotsu Shigemura—the man known as XeXeeD. Because the victim's clothing had been unexpectedly thick and Kyoji had been in a panicked rush, the drug dosage hadn't reached a lethal level.
However, the amount injected was still enough to leave Tamotsu in a comatose, critical condition. Ironically, it was this very state that kept the police at bay. Since the apartment belonged to a relative and the Shigemura family were local notables, Tamotsu's parents were desperate to avoid a scandal. Fearing rumors that their "troublemaker" son had collapsed from gaming addiction, they checked him into a private hospital run by an acquaintance and kept his condition a secret. Reporting it to the police was out of the question.
Kyoji and Shoichi were unaware of the family drama, but they knew Tamotsu was alive and the police weren't involved. They realized the latter because no investigators had visited the apartment. Knowing XeXeeD's real name was Tamotsu Shigemura, Kyoji had spent days scouring hospital wards, checking every nameplate on every door.
When he finally found the name "Tamotsu Shigemura," Kyoji felt a wave of crushing disappointment in his own failure to confirm the death. He learned of the victim's actual condition by eavesdropping on a conversation involving the apartment manager.
If only I had been more careful. If only I hadn't found that note.
Haunted by these thoughts, Kyoji had pleaded with Shoichi and Atsushi to move up the date of the next "execution," volunteering himself for the role of the killer. Since then, Kyoji had changed. He became proactive about breaking the law, even sneaking into his father's hospital to steal more drugs. He was desperate to prove his worth, terrified of being abandoned by his brother.
The shock of the "note" he had found had already faded from his mind, replaced by a singular focus. His stakeouts had paid off; he had successfully located Shino's home. He had considered planting a wiretap but decided the risk was too high. Instead, he began to shadow her. Shino hadn't noticed yet, but the "Hand of Evil" was closing in, one step at a time.
"Now then," Shoichi said, breaking the silence. "The remaining two… no, the three of them. What's the plan?"
"We should do all three during the BoB tournament," Kyoji suggested. "Garret and Pale Rider live very close to each other."
"And you'll handle Sinon's place?"
"Yeah. Her lock is a type I can't pick, but if I go there in person, she'll open the door for me."
"…I see."
"Yeah!" Kyoji chirped, his eyes bright with a disturbing zeal.
At this point, even if they failed to land a "Black Star" bullet in-game, Kyoji wouldn't stop. To Shoichi and Atsushi, killing outside the game was a violation of their "aesthetic." But they couldn't kill Kyoji yet. The murder had to happen within the digital world. They had already decided: as soon as the deed was done, they would dispose of Kyoji as a PK (Player Killer) within the game. Attempting to kill him in reality carried too much risk; a neighbor might hear a struggle and intervene. As long as he wasn't arrested on the spot, killing Kyoji would be easy.
Unbeknownst to him, Kyoji had already been abandoned by his own brothers.
Seijirou Kikuoka was staring at a particular report, looking deeply troubled.
"This… no matter how you look at it, it's impossible. Shooting a gun in a game and killing someone in reality? It's absurd. What should I do? I have to investigate, but…"
Kikuoka had already consulted various experts, and the conclusion was unanimous: it was physically impossible.
"I guess it really is a dead end. Maybe I should change perspective and ask a gamer. The ones I usually rely on for this sort of thing are Hachiman-kun and Kazuto-kun, but Hachiman-kun is… well, not this time."
Kikuoka muttered to himself as he tossed a file regarding Hachiman onto his desk. The name "Shana" was briefly visible on one of the documents.
"If the investigation stems from a casual consultation, Hachiman-kun's name is a bit too 'hot' right now. I'll ask Kazuto-kun instead. I don't think there's any real danger, but I'll make sure the support system is flawless. Though, I've already got a portion of that ready."
Kikuoka picked up the phone and dialed Kazuto's number.
"Hello, Kirigaya speaking. Kikuoka-san? What's up?"
"Ah, Kazuto-kun? I've got something I'd like to discuss. Could you meet me? I'll treat you to a nice meal, I promise."
"I don't mind, but is this about another part-time job?"
"Most likely. And I'll be quite generous with the pay this time."
"I'll be right there!"
When Kazuto arrived at the designated restaurant, he spotted Kikuoka and took the seat opposite him.
"Sorry for calling you out on such short notice."
"No, it's fine."
"Anyway, order whatever you like. Like I said, it's on me."
"Don't mind if I do."
Kazuto opened the menu and nearly choked when he saw the prices. "A-Are you sure? Truly?"
"Yes, don't worry about it."
"Alright… okay."
Kazuto scanned the menu with the intensity of someone defusing a bomb, but in the end, he only ordered a coffee and a parfait. Despite Kikuoka's insistence, he couldn't bring himself to be entirely shameless.
"So, what's the business today?"
"Right. Well, the truth is…"
Kikuoka explained the details of the "Death Gun" incident. Kazuto listened in silence, occasionally offering a gamer's perspective on how such a thing might be faked, but every theory he came up with lacked any shred of feasibility.
"…So, it's impossible, right?" Kikuoka asked.
"Yeah. I think it's impossible. Absolutely."
"I figured. That's the problem. Just telling my superiors 'everyone says it's impossible' won't satisfy them."
"In other words," Kazuto said, narrowing his eyes, "someone actually has to get shot by this 'Death Gun' to see what happens."
"Exactly. So… Kazuto-kun, would you take this job?"
"The job is that?!" Kazuto cried out in surprise. Even he wasn't particularly keen on being a human guinea pig.
"I know, I know. But I guarantee your safety! Please!"
"How exactly can you guarantee it?"
"First, you'll log in from a government facility. We'll monitor the in-game situation constantly. The moment you're hit by one of those bullets, we'll cut the connection and observe the results. But as we both just agreed, there's no way it could actually affect your physical body."
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