Only Benefits in Their Alliance

Even Horikita Suzune silently moved two steps closer to Su Wei.

Sakayanagi linked arms with Kamuro Masumi, who looked thoroughly unwilling, and strolled over to Su Wei's side. She asked, puzzled:

"Su Wei, why did you choose this one?"

Su Wei glanced at the Y Gun in Kamuro Masumi's hand and replied evenly:

"Why did you?"

"Since it's beginner equipment, there's no reason for the Black Sphere to give us a piece of junk. After watching Ryuen's tactics yesterday, I came up with a bold idea I want to test."

"Heh. You really are interesting."

Sakayanagi's smile widened. Lowering her voice, she asked:

"So, what do you think? My earlier offer still stands. Want to join my faction?"

"No thanks."

Su Wei kept his eyes straight ahead.

"Forming cliques in a dungeon where we could all get wiped out at any moment? Do you want to die faster?"

Kamuro Masumi, whose arm was linked with Sakayanagi's, looked completely bewildered.

Those two weren't on the same side?

They'd been linked arm in arm like a couple just a moment ago. Now they were already scheming against each other?

Sakayanagi didn't get upset at being turned down. She turned around and, without bothering to lower her voice, spoke as if to herself:

"Actually, I've been wondering what purpose the information provided by the Black Sphere serves..."

"Last night, that Parasite only started killing witnesses after it was exposed."

"And if we take the Evil Spirits' catchphrase into account..."

"Does that mean that as long as we don't openly reveal that we can see them, they'll maintain some sort of order?"

"At least, they won't attack us openly?"

Everyone gathered nearby could hear her.

With so much information missing, not everyone could fully understand, but they were at least capable of following Ryuen and Ichinose's example. Katsuragi, Shiranami, and the others could manage that much.

They lowered their raised weapons and relaxed their sharp gazes, merely watching their surroundings out of the corner of their eyes, along with the red dots on the Black Gun's screen.

Su Wei nodded to himself.

The Evil Spirits came from Mieruko-chan. If they pretended they couldn't see them, they could probably avoid disaster.

Even the Parasite from before tended to wait until fewer people were around to attack, as long as no one called it out in a crowd.

Shiina Hiyori followed behind Ichinose and Kamuro, looking around with curiosity.

She loved reading, especially mystery novels.

Though her nerves were taut and she was a little scared, the oppressive, storm-laden atmosphere somehow matched how she felt when reading.

It made Shiina Hiyori's heart beat faster.

Just then, Ryuen Kakeru called out sharply.

"They're here!"

Those with Black Guns glanced toward the weathered concrete wall on their left. Of course, no fool raised their weapon and stood guard, volunteering to be the first test subject.

"Zzz..."

There was no sound of anything smashing through the wall.

Like ink spreading through water, a hunched, semi-transparent figure emerged from the concrete without resistance.

It had no legs, and its lower half trailed like smoke.

Where its eyes should have been on its pale, swollen face was only smooth, dead flesh.

In their place, its face bore an enormous, exaggerated suction-cup mouth lined with sharp teeth, like a lamprey's.

"Ugh..."

Even though she'd tried to prepare herself, Shiranami Chihiro's legs gave way at the sanity-shattering sight. She clutched Ichinose's hand with all her strength to keep from falling.

Fortunately, the Evil Spirit didn't notice her expression.

Its eyeless head turned in an eerie circle before stopping in front of Horikita Suzune, who stood at the edge of the crowd.

A cold, rotten stench washed over her.

It was less than five centimeters from her nose. She could even see the little pieces of flesh writhing inside its mouth.

"Can you see me?"

"You can see me, right?"

Its hoarse, grating voice, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, whispered again and again beside the girl's ear.

Horikita Suzune's pupils contracted.

Don't move!

It'll notice me!

The last scraps of reason screamed wildly in her mind.

She pressed her already bloodless lips together and stared straight ahead, forcing herself to ignore the ghostly face right in front of her.

Treat it like air!

I can't see it... I can't see it...

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Everyone held their breath.

One second, two seconds...

The Evil Spirit, getting no answer, seemed puzzled.

It tilted its head, then slowly moved its suction-cup face away from Horikita Suzune, seemingly preparing to turn and look for another target.

Horikita Suzune was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

But then—

The instant the Evil Spirit turned around, its twisted body abruptly swung back without warning!

Its enormous mouth opened wide, and it roared in her face, bringing a foul wind with it:

"You can clearly see me!!!"

"Bang!"

Chapter 12: Only Benefits in Their Alliance

A gunshot rang out.

The Evil Spirit, which had been almost pressed against Horikita Suzune's face, burst into a cloud of black smoke like a popped balloon.

Horikita swallowed and confirmed that it hadn't been an illusion.

She was still alive...

Though she felt half-dead already.

A bead of cold sweat slid down her cheek. She hunched over, braced her hands on her knees, and gasped for breath.

"Haah... haah..."

It took several seconds for her to regain her composure.

She lifted her head again and looked at the pale-faced girl nearby, who was holding a gun.

"Th...thank you."

Horikita Suzune's voice was hoarse.

At the same time, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that it wasn't just Ichinose.

Sakayanagi Arisu, Ryuen Kakeru, and even the usually steady Katsuragi Kohei, who had been scattered throughout the corridor, were all aiming their Black Guns at the spot where the Evil Spirit had just vanished.

Clearly, they'd all reached the same conclusion.

Ichinose Honami had simply reacted half a beat faster than anyone else, acting on instinct.

"How unexpectedly decisive of you, Ichinose."

Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her gun. A hint of surprise showed in her voice.

"You were terrified, yet you still pulled the trigger before anyone else."

"Should I say that's just what one would expect from Class B's little angel?"

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed.

Under rules where everything ultimately came down to points, it was clear from Ichinose's relieved expression that she hadn't fired for the sake of winning points. She'd simply wanted to save someone.

In the end, even the desire for points can't overcome the instinct to help others sincerely...

Ichinose, I have to admit I underestimated you a little.

Facing Sakayanagi's half-teasing, half-admiring words, Ichinose forced a smile.

"I really was scared... but I've always believed that if you sincerely help other people, someone will help you too."

"Besides, in an exam where our lives are at stake, none of us will make it out if we don't work together, right?"

"Work together?"

Sakayanagi smiled.

She'd heard more than enough pretty speeches, but it was rare to see someone stick to them under rules where life and death were on the line.

She turned to Su Wei, who was standing beside Horikita.

"Why didn't you do anything just now? Weren't you worried?"

Su Wei sighed.

"Come on, I was less than half a meter away from her."

"And there were classmates all around us. What was I supposed to do—stab her and give our allies a bleeding debuff?"

"A reasonable decision," Katsuragi Kohei said, stepping in to smooth things over.

"It seems Sakayanagi's earlier theory was right."

"Then what we need to do next is simple."

"We just need to assign some people to draw their attention and act as bait, so the others can shoot the Evil Spirits from outside their field of vision."

"Bait...?"

Kamuro Masumi hunched her shoulders and asked nervously, "So we're going to split up into groups and fend for ourselves?"

"Of course."

Ryuen Kakeru looked at her as if she were an idiot.

"Don't forget the purpose of this exam. Besides, the results are tied to our classes."

But...

In all the fair-play mystery novels I've read, the protagonists often split up when they think they've got everything under control, only to be picked off one by one in the end.

Shiina Hiyori hesitated.