"Approaching the next stop. Passengers exiting, please prepare."
The announcement echoed through the bus, signaling the approach of the second stop.
What kind of anomaly would board this time? Everyone tensed, waiting to see what fresh horror awaited them.
By this point, even the blue-haired delinquent, who'd done poorly in school and graduated to street life where he relied on fists and intimidation, had managed to grasp the basic rules of Route 18.
No loud noise allowed. No talking to the driver. No sitting alone in double seats.
Getting off before reaching a human stop resulted in being devoured by whatever lurked in the darkness outside.
And the newest rule they'd discovered: if they didn't solve the problems of newly boarded anomalies, the humans would experience the same conditions until death.
But now that the unknown had become known, with the rules laid out clearly, their hearts had settled somewhat. Confidence grew from understanding. Terror came from the unknown, and each rule they discovered made the situation feel slightly more manageable.
Just follow the rules. That was all they had to do.
The bus slowly decelerated and stopped at the second station.
Compared to the pitch blackness of the first stop, this one had a bit more ambient light. Through the bus windows they could vaguely make out a few blurry figures standing outside, waiting to board.
Click...
Both front and rear doors opened with their familiar hydraulic hiss.
This time, the blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man sat perfectly still in their seats, not even twitching toward the exits. They knew this wasn't their stop. Thanks to Hayato's earlier warning, they understood to get off only at a human stop, namely Chiba Station.
The blue-haired guy stared at the route map that was now visible above the compartment, his eyes locked onto those three blessed characters: Chiba Station.
Two more stops. Only two stops left until freedom. Hope was waiting ahead.
One of the original anomaly passengers stood up and exited through the rear door, its dark form disappearing into the lighter darkness outside. The first anomaly to disembark since they'd boarded.
Boarding in its place was a small boy in a black tracksuit, his face corpse-pale in the dim lighting. The color was wrong, too white, like all the blood had been drained from his body.
Nanase Ren glanced at him from her position further back and immediately looked away, her stomach churning. All the passengers on this bus were terrifying in their own ways, but something about this child-shaped anomaly made her skin crawl even worse than the others.
"The bus is about to depart. All passengers, please take your seats immediately."
The standard reminder came through the speakers.
Both doors closed with synchronized clicks, sealing them in once again.
The bus slowly accelerated forward, the rumbling sound constant and almost hypnotic in its regularity.
The pale boy tilted his head at an odd angle and began walking down the aisle with small, careful steps. Each footfall was precise and deliberate, creating a rhythm that echoed in the silence.
Inside the bus was dead quiet except for those crisp footsteps. Tap... tap... tap... The sound seemed amplified by the stillness, each impact of shoe on floor reverberating through the space.
"Mister, will you play a game with me?"
The boy's voice was high-pitched and cheerful, jarringly normal in tone despite everything about this situation being wrong. He stood beside the first anomaly on the left side, looking up at the shadowy figure expectantly.
The anomaly didn't move or react at all, sitting in complete stillness as if the boy didn't exist.
The child waited for several seconds, small hands clasped together hopefully. When no response came, his shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment.
He moved on to the next anomaly in the row, stopping beside its seat with the same hopeful expression.
"Mister, will you play a game with me?"
Again, nothing. The anomaly could've been a statue for all the acknowledgment it gave. The boy's hands gripped the seat back tightly, knuckles standing out against his pale skin, but after another stretch of silence he let go and kept walking.
Third row, same question directed at another anomaly. Same complete lack of response.
The middle-aged man realized with growing dread that he was next in line. His entire body went rigid, muscles locking up as fear paralyzed him. His head dropped forward until his chin nearly touched his chest, eyes focused intensely on the rubber floor mat beneath his feet as if he could wish himself into it.
Please pass me by, please pass me by, please god please...
The litany repeated in his mind over and over.
Footsteps approached and stopped right beside his row.
"Mister, play a game with me!"
The boy's voice was louder now, more insistent. The cheerful tone had an edge underneath it that made the hairs on the middle-aged man's neck stand up.
His jaw clenched so hard that the muscle jumped visibly beneath his skin. Sweat beaded on his temples and tracked down past his ears in slow trails. His hands twisted together in his lap in jerky, nervous movements, fingers lacing and unlacing repeatedly.
He didn't look up. Didn't make a sound. Just kept staring at that same spot on the floor like his life depended on it, which it probably did.
Five seconds passed. Ten. Fifteen.
Then the boy moved, but not away. He moved down, crouching low.
His pale face appeared in the gap beneath the seat, head tilted at an angle that shouldn't be anatomically possible. He looked up at the middle-aged man from below with eyes that had dilated until the pupils were huge and dark. His mouth stretched into something that might've been a smile but showed too many teeth, the expression wrong in ways that defied description.
The middle-aged man's breath hitched in his throat, a sharp inward gasp like fabric tearing. The sound threatened to become a scream.
His hands flew up to clamp over his mouth, both palms pressed flat against his lips while his throat worked convulsively. The scream was building, trying to claw its way out, but he swallowed it down with difficulty. His whole body shook from the effort of keeping silent.
The boy just stared up at him from that impossible position beneath the seat. Waiting. That too-wide smile never wavering, never blinking.
Nanase Ren's hands had gone completely numb from how tightly she was gripping Hayato's arm, but she couldn't make herself let go. Her eyes were locked on the middle-aged man's face, watching the way his eyes had squeezed shut so tightly that wrinkles radiated from the corners.
Don't scream, she thought desperately. Don't scream don't scream don't make any sound at all.
The boy's head tilted the other direction, neck bending at that same wrong angle.
"Don't you want to play?" His voice came out softer this time, almost coaxing. The kind of gentle tone you'd use with a frightened animal.
The middle-aged man's shoulders hitched once, twice, like he was crying without making any sound. A single tear tracked down his cheek, catching the dim bus light and glistening.
But he didn't scream. Didn't open his eyes. Just sat there with his hands clamped over his mouth, trembling continuously.
After what felt like an eternity, the boy finally gave up. He straightened back to standing position with movements that looked too smooth, too fluid, and turned his attention to the blue-haired delinquent in the next row.
The delinquent had watched the entire interaction with growing terror. Now those pale features were turning toward him, and every instinct screamed to run.
Don't pick me, don't pick me, please I'm begging you, don't—
"Big brother, play a game with me. I wanna play a game..."
The voice was plaintive now, almost sad. Like a child who'd been rejected too many times and was losing hope.
But the blue-haired guy didn't dare agree. Couldn't risk whatever trap this represented. He kept his head down and eyes closed, pretending he hadn't heard anything at all.
Hayato had been observing the entire interaction carefully. The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man could afford to just worry about themselves, to ignore the boy and hope he'd go away. But Hayato couldn't take that approach.
By now, the boy had asked every anomaly passenger and both human men. Only Hayato and Nanase Ren remained unasked. And if everyone refused to play, that would definitely trigger some kind of fatal consequence.
The pattern was clear enough. This was a test, a rule that required participation.
Hayato reviewed what he knew and thought about the bus's behavior so far. Then something clicked in his mind.
Wild Speed.
The term appeared in his thoughts like a missing puzzle piece falling into place.
He immediately focused on listening carefully to the rumbling sound from the bus engine, filtering out other noises to concentrate on that steady vibration.
Compared to the speed during previous stretches of road, the bus had already increased several levels. The acceleration was subtle but definitely there, the engine working harder, the vibration frequency higher.
It really was going faster now, approaching "wild speed" levels.
"Big brother, play a game with me."
The question finally reached Hayato, the boy's pale face turning toward him with that same hopeful expression. The instant the words left the child's mouth, Hayato felt the bus accelerate even more noticeably.
Once Nanase Ren refused too, this bus would probably speed up to genuinely dangerous levels. Everyone would get to experience the thrill and terror of traveling at speeds that would end in a crash. Death by velocity and impact.
But Hayato had figured out the pattern.
"Sure, big brother will play a game with you," he said clearly, his voice carrying through the silent bus.
The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man felt relief flood through them. As expected of the boss who'd kept them alive this whole time. He understood what needed to be done.
Only Nanase Ren felt worry twist her stomach into knots. She knew that if Hayato refused, she'd be the boy's next target. And if she also refused after that, she'd probably be the first to die when whatever consequence triggered.
The cute nurse couldn't help looking at Hayato with concern written all over her face, wondering what he was planning.
Hayato simply raised his left thumb in a reassuring gesture.
This guy. Despite everything, despite the danger, Nanase Ren couldn't help but smile slightly at his confidence.
"Yay, yay! Big brother is willing to play a game with me!"
The boy jumped up and down happily, his movements enthusiastic and childlike. At that exact moment, the bus shuddered twice as if responding to his joy.
Even Nanase Ren could understand the connection now. The boy's emotional state was linked directly to the bus's behavior. His happiness meant stability. His rejection meant acceleration toward destruction.
"Let's play 'guess which hand is hiding the candy.' I'll hide it, big brother guesses. If big brother guesses wrong, then you have to come home with me to play more games."
A fifty-fifty chance. Pretty good odds, all things considered.
The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man thought the same thing. Half and half wasn't bad for a life-or-death situation.
Nanase Ren also calculated the odds, but something felt wrong about it. Playing games with an anomaly was this simple, with a 50% success rate? That seemed too easy. There had to be a catch.
"How about this instead," Hayato said casually, "I'll hide it, and you guess?"
The boy's expression shifted, surprise flickering across those pale features. Then he smiled, genuinely delighted.
"Okay! Since big brother is the first nice person in the car to play a game with me, I'll agree!"
He handed the candy over to Hayato without hesitation.
"Oh, and big brother, don't try throwing the candy away so it's not in either hand!"
The warning came cheerfully, but it eliminated what would've been an obvious loophole.
Damn. The blue-haired guy's mind worked through possibilities. So that was an option, just getting rid of the candy entirely. Even a kid was smarter than him, apparently. He really should've studied more in school.
"Of course not," Hayato said with an easy smile.
Nanase Ren realized that Hayato's plan to exploit a loophole had just been shut down. This boy anomaly was too clever, had anticipated the trick.
Hayato placed both hands behind his back, making a show of switching the candy's position multiple times. His shoulders moved as his hands worked out of sight, creating the impression of complex maneuvering.
Then he brought both hands forward and held them out, palms facing down and fists closed.
"Guess! Which hand has the candy?"
The boy's small hand slowly rose, finger extended as he deliberated. It moved toward Hayato's left hand first, hovering over it uncertainly.
Nanase Ren's heart hammered in her chest, each beat painful.
"Is it this one..."
The boy's finger shifted, now pointing at the right hand instead.
"Are you sure?" Hayato asked, giving him a chance to reconsider.
"I'm sure! Open it up, big brother!"
"Really? You can't take it back! If you want to choose again right now, little guy, I can still give you one more chance."
"Hehe, no take-backs. It's that one." The boy pointed firmly at the right hand.
Nanase Ren's face went pale as all color drained from her cheeks.
She'd been watching carefully earlier when Hayato had been switching the candy behind his back. She'd seen clearly through the gap in his arms that he'd hidden it in his right hand. The boy had guessed correctly.
It was over. Really over this time.
The thought hit her like ice water. Hayato was going to lose, was going to be taken away by this creepy boy to whatever nightmare place he called home. And then she'd be next, left alone on this bus with no one to guide her.
Her heart felt like it was being torn apart, a knife-like pain ripping through her chest.
Sure, Hayato had been following her, had acted like a stalker. But on this anomalous Route 18 bus, he'd genuinely helped her survive until now. Had protected her, guided her, kept her alive when she would've died multiple times over.
This debt of gratitude was something Nanase Ren could never forget or repay.
But what could she do? She realized with crushing helplessness that she couldn't do anything to help. After Hayato failed and got taken away, she'd be the boy's next target for his game.
Maybe being taken away together with Hayato wouldn't be so bad. At least they'd be together. The thought came unbidden, a giving-up sort of acceptance.
The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man also felt their hearts sink. Without Hayato, the boss who'd guided them this far, they'd probably die here too. Their survival had depended entirely on following his instructions.
"Ta-da-da..."
Hayato even added sound effects as he slowly opened his right hand with theatrical flair.
The right hand was completely empty. Nothing there at all.
"Nope! It's in the left hand."
He opened his left hand with equal drama, and a piece of candy lay quietly in his palm, the wrapper catching the dim light.
The boy blinked rapidly, his expression shifting to shock and disbelief.
Nanase Ren was equally stunned, her mind reeling. Impossible. She definitely hadn't remembered wrong. The candy had been in the right hand. She'd seen it clearly.
"I win, little guy," Hayato said with satisfaction.
"No, no, I didn't guess wrong. I definitely didn't guess wrong!"
The boy's voice rose in pitch, frustration clear in his tone. He stamped one small foot against the floor.
"Shh!"
Hayato made a shushing gesture, finger to his lips.
"Big brother can play with you one more time. But if big brother wins again, then you have to be a good listener and sit there quietly, okay?"
He pointed to the first single seat on the right side, the one that had been vacated by the anomaly who'd exited.
Hayato's intuition told him the bus's increasing speed was related to the boy being continuously rejected, but also to the fact that the boy had never actually taken a seat. If he sat down properly, maybe the speed would normalize.
"Two times. No, three times."
The boy held up three fingers insistently.
Hayato considered briefly, then nodded. "Fine, but after that, no asking anyone else to play."
This condition was important. He needed to protect Nanase Ren from being the next target if things went wrong.
As soon as the nurse heard that condition, she understood immediately. Hayato was proposing this for her sake, taking on additional risk himself to keep her safe.
Her heart swelled with emotion. For her, Hayato was willing to shoulder all the danger alone.
How could she ever repay this kindness?
"Does big brother like this pretty big sister?"
The boy's gaze fell on Nanase Ren for the first time since boarding, those pale features turning to study her with curiosity. His direct attention made her heart skip a beat, but she forced out a smile despite her fear, doing everything possible to avoid upsetting him.
"I do," Hayato answered simply and honestly.
"Oh... what about pretty big sister? Do you like big brother?"
The question shifted to her, and Nanase Ren knew there was absolutely no possibility of saying anything other than yes. Not with their lives on the line.
"I do," she said, the words coming out steadier than she'd expected.
"How nice! Big brother and big sister like each other. That's okay! But if big brother loses, I'm taking both of you home with me!"
The childish voice carried threads of cold underneath the cheerful tone, like ice beneath warm water.
"Okay," Hayato agreed without hesitation.
Nanase Ren naturally had no position to object. Her fate and Hayato's were now completely intertwined, linked together by this agreement.
Either they'd both live or they'd both die together.
The implications of that thought made her feel oddly embarrassed despite the circumstances. Living and dying together, wasn't that basically like being married? The random thought brought heat to her cheeks.
Round two began.
The boy watched Hayato's hands carefully as they moved behind his back, then guessed the right hand. The candy was revealed to be in the left.
Round three started immediately after.
The boy guessed right again initially, but suddenly changed his mind at the last second to choose left instead. This time when Hayato opened his hands, the candy was in the right.
Nanase Ren watched with her heart in her throat the entire time. Each reveal tugged at her nerves like puppet strings, making her whole body tense with anxiety. The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man weren't any better, their hearts racing so fast they thought they might have actual heart attacks.
But Hayato's winning streak gave them hope. Three victories in a row meant he might actually pull off the fourth and final round.
"For the last round, let's change the rules. I'll hide it, and big brother, you guess."
The boy looked at Hayato with that unsettling smile, waiting for his response. On his pale face, the expression looked even more eerie and unnatural.
"No problem. Games are meant to be fun," Hayato said agreeably.
"Mm-hmm!"
The boy placed both hands behind his back, moving them around for several seconds. Then he brought them forward, both small fists closed.
"Which one? Guess, big brother! I'll give you three seconds!"
Ding dong...
Ding dong...
The countdown seemed to echo in everyone's minds even though no actual sound came from the bus.
At this moment, the interior was completely silent. Every eye was focused on those two small hands, waiting to see which Hayato would choose.
Left hand or right hand? Which one held the candy?
Under everyone's watchful stares, Hayato slowly reached out and placed his hand on the boy's left hand.
The left?
"Not in this hand," the boy said immediately.
Everyone's attention shifted to the right hand. So it must be there, in the right hand. The logic was simple.
This decision would determine everyone's fate, life or death hanging in the balance.
"Then big brother is guessing the right hand. I can let you guess one more time if you want!"
The boy's voice came out mischievous, as if reminding Hayato to switch his answer. Or perhaps hinting that the candy really was in the right hand after all.
But Hayato's expression didn't change. His voice came out calm and certain.
"Neither hand has it. The candy is behind your back."
Instant, complete silence. Only the rumbling of the bus engine remained, filling the space with mechanical noise.
Then the boy's face lit up with genuine delight.
"Ding ding! You guessed right!"
He opened both small hands to reveal empty palms. Nothing there at all, just as Hayato had said.
Damn. The blue-haired delinquent and middle-aged man cursed internally. This little boy was way too sneaky, too underhanded. But thinking about the hint he'd given, they realized that only someone who would pull that trick himself could anticipate that others might do the same.
Thank god Hayato had figured it out. Otherwise they'd all be screwed.
"Big brother, you won. These two candies are for you and this big sister."
The boy pulled two wrapped candies from behind his back and stuffed them into Hayato's hand with genuine happiness.
"They're really yummy. We all love eating them."
He waved his small hand cheerfully and walked to the first single seat on the right side, sitting down properly with his feet swinging above the floor.
His pale complexion gradually recovered some color, as if playing the game had been genuinely enjoyable and revitalizing for him.
The bus's speed also decreased noticeably, returning to normal driving speed as the engine noise lowered.
Only now did the others fully understand how close they'd come to disaster. If the bus had kept accelerating like that, they would've all been speeding wildly toward death, ultimately ending in a catastrophic crash.
But fortunately, they'd passed this trial. Two more stops until Chiba Station and freedom.