Chie Hoshinomiya's Inner Monologue

"You talk more than anyone all day, and you're still feeling pent up? I don't."

"I can just sing to myself under the covers in my dorm room. No need to embarrass myself in public. Besides, I don't want to sing with three grown men."

"How can you call us three grown men?"

"Ah—"

Without a hint of hesitation, Shiratori pulled me over, pinning my neck under his arm while pinching the flesh of my cheek with his other hand. "Don't we still have Raku, the delicate, handsome young man? You can try imagining him as a fragile girl. Even if he is flat-chested."

"Are you trying to gross me out? Don't gross me out. At the very least, I'd only go if Raku dressed as a girl."

"Raku, for our—"

"I must refuse!" I escaped the hold of his arm and delivered the swiftest, firmest refusal of my life.

"I'm offended on every possible level."

"Don't be like that. I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Better to die than be humiliated. I won't give in."

"Tsk, you really aren't coming?" Shiratori asked, still unwilling to give up.

"If you want to go, go by yourself. The three of us will play Ozmir World in Okabe's room."

"Heh heh heh! It's out already? I've been looking forward to it!"

"It went on sale three days ago."

"Ooh! I want to play! Let's meet in Okabe's room right after dinner!"

"..."

It wasn't even a voice-controlled game. So much for being pent up...

The empty amusement park was running.

The seesaw was deserted, yet it rocked up and down all by itself. The colorful carousel carried nothing but air as cheerful music played. The drop tower plunged with a chilling screech, while the Ferris wheel, startled by the noise, slowly traced a graceful arc across the sky.

I wandered around the deserted amusement park with a cone of snow and a drink made from tomatoes in my hands, gazing intently at the utterly ordinary scene...

Or perhaps eerie was a better word.

Something was wrong. Everything here was wrong.

There were no visitors. The amusement park was as desolate as a shuttered factory, yet its machines kept running of their own accord, seeking their own amusement.

I tried to uncover the truth behind the amusement park, but found nothing. In the end, all I had to show for it was a rumbling stomach.

If I couldn't figure it out, I might as well join in and enjoy myself.

The absurd thought filled me with an unusual excitement. The rush was so intense it felt as if it were tearing me apart.

But it wasn't until I approached the rides that I realized there was no entrance to the park, no lines of visitors, and no staff collecting tickets.

So how was I supposed to board this last train before it fell apart?

It was a ridiculous question, yet I had no choice but to rack my brain for an answer. Agitated, I licked the snow cone, using the icy sensation on my tongue to keep myself alert as I wandered restlessly around the park.

This wasn't right. This place shouldn't have looked like this. Something had to be wrong.

I had paid the price of entering the amusement park, yet because the machines kept running, I was denied the chance to enjoy any of the rides.

It wasn't fair. It was so unfair.

In a fit of anger, I shoved the entire cone into my mouth and crunched it up. The crackling sounds mingled with the taste of blood. Unable to bear the flavor, I gulped down the tomato juice in my cup. It didn't matter how strong the bloody taste became. If the concentration kept rising, we'd stop noticing it. We'd get used to it.

As long as the swirling snow grew thick enough, we would lose our eyes.

As I paced in agitation, I suddenly spotted a castle I could enter freely.

Its doors stood open. Ocean balls littered the floor, bouncing and colliding as they pleased. Some even rolled leisurely down the slide.

I hurriedly threw away everything valuable in my hands and sprinted toward the castle without a second thought.

The scene inside filled me with joy. My excitement made my body tremble, and tears streamed from my eyes.

Just as I tried to rein in my happiness and step into the castle, the loudspeaker overhead emitted a piercing electronic whine.

I covered my ears in pain, trying to block out the sound waves, but the voice accompanying the whine easily made its way into my mind.

"This place does not belong to you. Please leave immediately."

"Repeating the announcement: this place does not belong to you. Please leave immediately."

Then the castle doors shut. Like prison bars, they sealed me inside.

Huh? What kind of joke was this?

This place didn't belong to me?

Then what was the point of coming here?

I had gone through so much trouble to get here, and all you could say was that this place didn't belong to me before sending me on my way?

I laughed from the bottom of my heart at the joke.

"Haha—haha—"

"Haha—haha—"

I felt such joy, such happiness—and such warmth—deep in my heart. It was a warm feeling, warm enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Hahaha, what a joke!

I smashed the toy castle's doors to pieces. Ignoring the blaring sirens, I strode brazenly into the amusement area.

Look at that. What could you do to me now?

I picked up the ocean balls and crushed them one by one, so they could never repeat those annoying bounces. With a casual swing, I broke the colorful slides, stopping them from being put back together or used again. Then I turned to the plush toys...

I frantically wrecked everything around me. Even when the entire castle lay in ruins, I still wasn't satisfied, though the corners of my mouth kept turning upward.

After destroying everything, I ran wildly out of the castle and leaped down the stairs to the right. I raced past lush green grass and gushing fountains. A dolphin balanced on ocean balls and put on an energetic show; a kamaitachi carried a bucket and poured hot water over a wildcat's back; monkeys in suits talked animatedly around a table piled with bananas...

How interesting. Everything here was so interesting.

The more I wandered, the more excited I became. The more excited I became, the more unhinged I grew, until I ran into him on an uphill path.

The man pointed a gun at me.

"You'll bring about your own destruction sooner or later."

"Just you wait and see."

I grinned so widely that I felt the skin at the corners of my mouth tear. Before I could savor the sensation, he pulled the trigger, and a gunshot rang out.

"Bang—"

I jolted awake in bed. As I grasped what was happening, I quickly turned my head to dodge the bullet's path.

Then, because I pushed myself up unevenly, I tumbled hard onto the floor.

Tss—

That hurt.

I rubbed the spot where I'd hit the floor and waited a while before slowly getting to my feet. Then I turned on the light.

"..."

One hour and sixteen minutes.

Looking at the wall clock, I calculated how long I'd been asleep.

I was surprised by the result. It had been a long time since I'd slept for more than an hour in one stretch. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't imagine letting my guard down against the outside world.

And... was that what a dream was?

Something I'd always thought impossible—something people experienced as children—had finally happened to me. And unlike the sweet or frightening dreams people talked about, that place had been filled with things I couldn't understand.

I glanced at the dark sky outside, pressed hard on my temples, and went to the desk. I pulled a book from the drawer.

[Dreams are divided into manifest and latent content. A dream is an expression of the subconscious, and the fulfillment of a desire. —Sigmund Freud]

An expression of the subconscious, the fulfillment of a desire...

What was that supposed to mean?

Did I want to go to an amusement park?

Come to think of it, this school didn't have places like amusement parks. I'd have to wait until after graduation to visit one...

Also, what was the name of the dead man who had pointed a gun at me in the dream?

The Inner Monologue of Chie Hoshinomiya

There is no such thing as absolute loyalty in this world. If it exists, it only means the temptation wasn't great enough and the price of betrayal wasn't high enough.

Even though I'd been through the same thing myself, I'd still been blinded by the immense rewards right in front of me. By the time I came to my senses, it was too late. I'd committed an unforgivable crime.

Mathematics was the subject I taught, and of the five core subjects, it was the one I was best at.

There was no doubt that mastering mathematics required talent.

Logical thinking was just as important.

But I knew my talent for mathematics wasn't particularly strong. I could even clearly sense where my limitations and flaws in reasoning lay. I'd made every effort to overcome them, but in the end, I couldn't break through that final barrier. It felt like wanting something that was just within reach but still being unable to grasp it, even though it was right there...

That said, my math scores had still been among the best at the time. The others didn't outperform me mostly because they hadn't worked hard enough to demonstrate any talent.

Just like Sae now, she always seemed not to care about her students. She didn't strive for a good evaluation in the class's graduation assessment, and she didn't care how many Class Points her class had, either. But I knew it was all an act. She'd always wanted to defy the hierarchy and climb from Class D to Class A.

Ever since that incident, I'd known she wouldn't give up.

But I wouldn't let her climb up.

Whether or not that leader had been lying, I had to use this boy to eliminate any potential threat. At the very least, I had to get him to help Ichinose...

The Black Emperor.

When I learned about his abilities and met him for the first time, I don't know why, but I thought of an ancient history from abroad. Perhaps I'd thought it suited the situation after comparing it from every angle. But once I learned what he thought and wanted, I immediately knew I'd been wrong. I'd gotten it wrong from the very beginning.

His cruelty surpassed that of the Black Emperor, and his methods were even more ruthless.

I'd learned that history thanks to Sae. My main interest was mathematics, but I was curious about history too, and that was how Sae and I became friends. I'd first heard about the ancient history of the "Black Emperor" from her.

Back when we could still talk happily...

Though the Black Emperor was honored with the title of emperor, he was in fact merely a general under Emperor Wenren of the Song Dynasty.

No one knew the Black Emperor's real name. No historical records mentioned it. Only the Qingwen Historical Records briefly noted that before he became the Black Emperor, people had called him Duanmu. The name "Duanmu" had come about because someone once saw him raise a broken tree trunk back upright.

Perhaps he'd never had a name to begin with.

According to rumors, strange signs had appeared on the day the Black Emperor was born. A black dragon was said to have wandered the skies. The villagers had thought him destined for greatness, but forgotten the darkness of the dragon's face.

His mother had died giving birth to him. His father, overcome with grief and love for the child, had soon followed. A few days later, a fire had spread through the village, killing and injuring countless people. He'd been left helpless and alone, but fortunately a commander in the army had taken him in, and that was how he survived. However, the commander had been killed in battle not long afterward, leaving "Duanmu" as the sole survivor.

From then on, no one in the army dared to get close to him. They all feared the curse of death that followed him.

The Life-Death Army hadn't gotten its name for nothing.

Whether friend or foe, everyone despised him, yet his strength was so untouchable and unforgettable. No enemy beyond the borders failed to fear his prowess in battle. Whenever they learned that the Black Emperor would take part, their hearts filled with fear beyond words. He wasn't only a warrior, but a butcher, a god of slaughter, whose many killings never seemed to satisfy him.

Though he was the king of the army and held the lives of others in his hands, no one respected him, no one tried to curry favor with him, and no one liked him.

Three years in the army, three years at war. For those three years, all he inspired in others was fear. The soldiers wished they could go without hearing his voice, without hearing his name, but his reputation couldn't be stopped from spreading.

The powerful reputation he'd earned through his actions reached Emperor Wenren. The emperor was delighted, but also felt sorry for him, so he promoted Duanmu again and again despite his ministers' objections. To repay the emperor's kindness, Duanmu swore to serve the Song Dynasty until death. He kept sending word of victories to the court, and Emperor Wenren's affection for him continued to grow.

After one battle, his position rose steadily. In the end, he single-handedly turned the tide of a battle that had ended with the capital falling. He was granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei and sent to the northernmost region of the border to suppress the rampant demons.

Emperor Wenren hadn't done this because he feared him. By then, the Black Emperor could have easily launched a political upheaval if he'd wanted to, but he hadn't. And Emperor Wenren had done it only because Duanmu was the only one capable of keeping the northern border safe.

Everyone opposed it. They warned Emperor Wenren that Duanmu was a black dragon who would one day harm him, if not now, then in the future. But the emperor paid them no heed.

There was no reward left to give. Duanmu now stood almost at the pinnacle of the world. If the emperor gave him anything more, there would be nothing left to keep under his control. The Black Emperor understood this, too, and willingly accepted the title of "Marquis of Zhenbei."

"I have led troops for more than ten years. Those who stood against me were defeated; those I attacked were subdued. Though I have fought a hundred battles, I have never been defeated. Everything I have achieved is thanks to Your Majesty's kindness. I am willing to help Your Majesty conquer the world."