More, More

Ryuen forced himself to calm down.

Years of experience had taught him that the calmer he was in a situation like this, the more it would help him.

After all, his opponent didn't know how strong he was. If he acted a little more brazenly, the other guy might not dare attack.

Besides, there were restrictions imposed by the watches. He'd lose points for hitting people recklessly.

At Ryuen's call, Joker stopped and turned to face him:

"I have a peculiar hobby. I like walking alone through quiet forests at night, and while I'm at it, I clear out the chattering bugs. What a coincidence, running into you two... no, are there three of you?"

Joker tilted his head and glanced toward the distant forest.

There was no movement over there, yet a strange smile appeared beneath Joker's mask.

Found you, Ayanokoji.

"Ibuki, go test him."

"Sure."

Ibuki hadn't noticed anything unusual. She just thought the masked man wandering around in the middle of the night was a nutcase.

But Ryuen's cautious tone kept her from letting her guard down, so she put aside her contempt.

She slowly approached her target, waiting for an opening.

But the other guy just stood there without moving, showing no sign of fighting back. He even tilted his head and glanced at her.

Why?

His movements were like those of someone facing a harmless puppy. He didn't take her seriously at all.

Ibuki was furious. She raised her arm and swung it at him.

The elbow was the strongest weapon in the upper body. An ordinary person hit by her would end up on the ground, groaning for a while.

That was what happened when someone underestimated her.

But she soon realized she'd been wrong.

He easily blocked her attack with one hand, then grabbed her by the throat with the other and lifted her up.

He leaned close to her face and said:

"Do you know why I wear a mask?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know—y-you'd better let me go." Ibuki kicked her legs wildly, managing only to brace her hands against his arm to ease the pressure on her throat.

"Well, you see," Joker said to himself. "Once, I had a beautiful lover. Her beauty drove me mad. Every day, I painted portraits of her, and every night, I slept holding her photograph... Until one day, her beauty suddenly vanished. She was heartbroken. She even grew jealous of my looks... To prove how much I loved her, I took a knife and cut off my own face, piece by piece... And then, then she left me."

"You—" Ibuki stammered. "What are you even talking about?"

Joker's calm words held a detached edge, along with a hint of madness. The absurd story made her scalp crawl.

"Would you like to see the hideous face beneath my mask?"

Joker reached for his mask.

"No! I don't want to see!" Ibuki pushed against his body with one hand and squeezed her eyes shut, terrified she might see something that would disgust her.

"Oh?"

Joker suddenly stopped. Looking down at the figure fleeing in the distance, he released Ibuki and let her drop to the ground.

"Heh heh. The game of cat and mouse has begun. Ryuen, are you ready?"

Ibuki watched the figure disappear and patted her chest, still shaken.

"What kind of monster was that?"

She swore she never wanted to see that person again.

He'd worn a mask in the middle of the night, said such horrifying things, and was incredibly strong.

But... strong?

That suddenly reminded her of someone.

"No, how could it be?"

It couldn't possibly be him. He was just a lecher, and he spoke so frivolously.

If that had been him, he would've pinned her to the ground and humiliated her. Why wouldn't he have shown the slightest interest in her?

Ibuki shook her head, casting aside the absurd idea.

For now, she'd better get on the boat.

She didn't want to stay on this island any longer.

More, More

While Ibuki was down, Ryuen fled.

His opponent was far too fast. With his fighting experience, Ryuen knew he had no chance of beating him on his own.

So he chose to run.

As Ryuen saw it, running away wasn't cowardly. Only a fool would charge recklessly at an enemy he couldn't defeat.

The one who survived to the end was the true winner. Even if he couldn't beat his opponent in a fight, he could still defeat him another way.

Now, he'd been running for half an hour. He knew the island well, and the cover of darkness made it even harder for his pursuer to find him.

Leaning against a tree, Ryuen let out a long breath.

Just then—

"Found you—"

A comical voice rang in his ear, dripping with mockery.

"H-how did you find me?" Ryuen took two steps back, feeling for cover behind him.

"It's simple. I just ran all over the island."

"..."

Ryuen had nothing left to say. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

This guy was definitely a monster—and a lunatic, too.

But there was one thing he still wanted to know:

"What do you want... You didn't come all this way just to toy with me, did you?"

"I already told you what I'm here for. I wanted to take a walk at night and clear out some annoying bugs. You called out to me, didn't you? I figured you had something very interesting to share with me."

Ryuen fell silent again, regretting his choice.

If only he hadn't called out to the other guy. His years of habit had made him think the man was deliberately eavesdropping on their conversation.

After all, ordinary people didn't usually go for walks at night. With a lunatic, though, who knew?

"Stop keeping quiet. Come on, tell me the story you're proudest of."

Joker slowly approached Ryuen and stopped beside him.

"What do you want to hear?" Ryuen asked. His hand below his waist shifted slowly, waiting for a chance to strike and finish him off.

"Me? Well, I like hearing deadpan jokes best—the kind that don't make anyone laugh."

"Is that so? Then you definitely won't be laughing at this one." A vicious glint appeared in Ryuen's eyes as he suddenly drove his fist toward the other man's stomach.

A powerful punch came at Joker.

At that distance, there should have been no time to react.

Yet Joker dodged to the side and grabbed his arm.

"How...?" Ryuen's eyes widened in terror.

What kind of reaction speed was that?

"My turn?" Joker said with a grin. Grabbing Ryuen's arm, he hurled him hard into a tree. Ryuen crashed against it with a thud.

After straightening his slightly rumpled clothes, Joker walked up to him and patted his cheek.

"Still alive? I hate being ambushed more than anything—except when I'm the one doing the ambushing."

"Cough, cough... What do you want?" Ryuen struggled to prop himself up, clutching his chest. It felt as though all his internal organs were churning.

"Me... I want to see the fragile heart beneath that fearless exterior of yours... Come on, let me hear the sweet sound of you begging for mercy..."

"Heh. I'll never beg, even if it kills me." Ryuen scoffed, his eyes gleaming with ferocity.

He'd faced despair again and again, and every time, he'd made it through. It was all thanks to his fearlessness in the face of death.

Only the weak feared death. Only the weak dreaded dying.

This time would be no different. He'd make it through. He'd overcome the seemingly insurmountable strength before him and complete an even more ultimate transformation.

That was—his strength.

And this time—

Clap, clap, clap.

Joker applauded.

"I admire you, but nothing matters in the face of absolute power. The strength you see in yourself is just an illusion you've created to satisfy your ego. You're not truly strong."

"In other words..." Joker lifted him by the collar, bringing their faces close. "You've never truly faced your own heart. You're a real clown, living in a delusion. Hahaha!"

Joker laughed wildly.

Ryuen's expression darkened.

"Then prove it. Let's see which of us is the real clown—the clown hiding behind a mask, sir."

"All right. I'll give you what you want."

Joker grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the beach.

Ryuen struggled a few times but couldn't break free. In the end, he gave up.

They reached the part of the island that belonged to Class C.

Joker looked around, found a shovel, picked it up, and tossed it to Ryuen.

"Find a spot near the sea and bury yourself. Leave only your head sticking out."

"..."

Ryuen said nothing. He picked a random spot and started digging into the sand. As his feet sank deeper, his unease grew.

By the time the sand reached his chest, he could barely move.

Joker stepped forward and helped bury the rest of him, until only his head was exposed.

"Done. A true work of art."

A lone head sat exposed on the beach, its scalp bare, giving it a desolate look.

"What are you trying to do?" Ryuen asked. "You're not seriously planning to play in the sand with me, are you?"

"You guessed it," Joker said. "This is one of my favorite games. The tide comes in around six every morning on this island. The seawater floods the sand, and the water mixed with sand squeezes your body, filling you with pain. In the end, the muddy sand slowly drags you beneath the water, where you'll die bit by bit, caught between anticipation and fear."