C4 | A Joker’s Last Stand

“U-uh-uh-uh.”

 

I stuttered, unable to respond.

 

The rock that was pressing against my throat was really sharp. It hurt like hell. A blue rock, huh? It looked more like a crystal. Were there rocks in this world that were blue?

 

“Start talking, now! Are you a CHK?”

 

“Owowowow...”

 

Ayaka twisted the rock, digging it into my neck. Her gaze was so sharp that I could see my own death.

 

“A-Ayato Hinode! Just a normal high school boy navigating around life. I do chemistry-”

 

“That's not what I'm talking about!”

 

Ayaka's face was filled with a mixture of anger and shock. Her eyes had loosened ever so slightly from my name.

 

“I don't know what you're asking! Be specific?”

 

As the current of death washed against me, it was surprisingly easy to push words out.

 

Ayaka clenched her jaw as she seemed to be in thought. At that moment, I noticed a blue orb in her other hand. Ah, there was no way that those blue things were part of this world. Maybe it was the CHK and GIRUS thing that I was told.

 

“You're no normal high school boy! If you can still move and talk then that means...”

 

Ayaka tightened her grip on the rock.

 

“Answer me. What is your relationship to GIRUS?”

 

It suddenly occurred to me that she was a GIRUS and trying to kill me.

 

The hard rock drilling into my neck. I was going to die. And I couldn't help but think it was pathetic. The fact that I thought my journey as “special” was going to get anywhere.

 

“I don't know anything!”

 

My mouth moved before I could accept death.

 

“I was just told that GIRUS were some random people that wanted to kill me! That you GIRUS wanted to kill me!”

 

Last night, when I was told about CHK and GIRUS, when I went to bed, I thought.

 

Maybe this would actually be a place of change. Maybe I could actually do something significant and meaningful with this new “speciality” of mine.

 

“I was living life like a normal person! Waking up and looking forward to school, trying my best to find something meaningful! And to think, I would find out that some random people are trying to kill me! I thought it was cool at first, but now, I just want everything back!”

 

My eyes wandered to the horizon, away from the sight of the rock against my throat.

 

“That's why, That's why, I beg you to spare me, Ayaka Hirano!”

 

I wanted to live. I wanted to keep indulging in the dreams of being special. I wanted to actually be special. Even now, I was clinging on to the hope that somehow, I would be spared.

 

A moment of silence passed, what felt like forever.

 

“I'm not a GIRUS. If you're not one, there would be no reason for me to kill you. Ayato Hinode.”

 

The rock against my throat vanished.

 

When I opened my eyes, Ayaka had backed off from me, the rock no longer in her hand. Her other hand still held the blue orb. She bit her lip tightly, as if restraining herself. Her long, black hair laid flat on her shoulders.

 

It was when I realized Ayaka Hirano had no intentions of killing me from the start. Unable to form words, I gaped at her.

 

Ayaka closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she reached into her sleeve and pulled off a yellow, golden bracelet.

 

“But if you weren't one, how could you not have one of these?”

 

It was the exact same bracelet that my sister always wore.

 

“Prove it to me you're no GIRUS. Catch.”

 

Ayaka threw the bracelet to me. As the bracelet ran through the air, I could see the light in it vanishing. I caught the bracelet. The moment it touched my hand, it instantly lit up gold.

 

“So you are a CHK.”

 

Ayaka still kept her gaze on me, as if still suspecting me. She turned to the forest.

 

“But if you weren't the one who started this then”

 

Her eyes widened, the orb falling out of her hand and hitting the ground, disintegrating.

 

“You didn't have a bracelet.”

 

She turned and saw the golden bracelet I was holding in my hand. Her face was stricken with horror, her forehead wrinkled.

 

Unknown why she was so agitated, I tossed her the bracelet, before scratching the bottom of my chin, relieved that I was still alive.

 

“Why didn't you have a bracelet?”

 

Ayaka blinked. She clasped a strand of hair that ran to her shoulders tightly as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought.

 

“Uh are you okay?”

 

“I-I can't trust it yetI need to think! J-Just hold on to this!”

 

The same bracelet landed in front of me.

 

“What ar-”

 

“L-lay down on the ground, and don't move! Just wait for me to come back!”

 

Before I could call wait, she sprinted off into the woods.

 

“What a weird reaction, that.”

 

Lay down on the ground and don't move, huh. I grabbed the bracelet, and laid down on the ground, closing my eyes. There was no wind. There wasn't a heartbeat of nature that I usually felt when I closed my eyes.

 

“Just cause I'm a CHK huh. I feel like I'm actually getting special treatment for once.”

 

The bitter thoughts of the chemistry club surfaced in my mind.

 

“Perhaps this CHK stuff is something different. You don't have to be number 1 to get considered significant. Though it seemed to have been one that could've got me killed.”

 

But even as I thought that, a slight smile spread across my face. Who would've thought that the sister of Rei, Ayaka, who had a pretty cute relationship with my sister would end up almost slaughtering me. Somewhere in me, I was glad that they were also CHK. Kazane could still cling on to her best friend. And Rei.

 

He may not see it, but there was something I wanted to settle with him.

 

My eyes opened. The clouds of the sky weren't moving.

 

“Haaa?”

 

Instinctively, I sat up. It was the exact scenery as when I left. I glanced at the people in the distance. They were in the exact same spot as when Ayaka first pointed the rock at me.

 

“What happened?”

 

It was an unnatural scene. I almost got up, but Ayaka's words rang.

 

Don't move.

 

“Dammit, there's no way I could just lay down!”

 

But I could still remember how scared I was when that rock was pressed against my neck. Was that Ayaka's ability? It seemed she already got the hang of it.

 

“Ah, how late have I come?”

 

Just then, the sound of something slamming echoed in the park. I glanced over, to see some smoke leaving the trees, where Kazane and Rei were. Ayaka was nowhere in sight.

 

Kazane...

 

Don't move.

 

I clenched my jaw.

 

No, I had to do something.

 

 “Ayato Hinode. He is the main character. If they say main characters have to face their fears, then so be it. If that's all it took. If I am special, then there has to be something I can do. Just for today, I won't run away.”

 

I took off for the plains, indulging in my own speech.

 

...

 

Wherewherewhere.

 

My mind filled with panic as I rushed around the plains.

 

Where was Kazane? Where was Ayaka and Rei? Where were the GIRUS?

 

As my legs got sore, my run slowed to a walk. My heart hurt, a sure tell sign I was not anywhere close to physically fit. I glanced around, but nothing was there. Only the frozen bodies of people, in the same expression, pose for what felt like minutes now.

 

This was seriously wrong.

 

I continued my walk around the plain. Even the blades of grass that were being blown by wind were frozen in place. It was almost as if time had stopped.

 

Wherewherewhere.

 

Panic continued to make its way down my spine.

 

Should I yell? It was most likely a horrible idea, given if GIRUS was around, I'd practically be dead, even if the weakest GIRUS was one-eight of Ayaka's strength.

 

I desperately tried to remember what Rei had said as I put my hands on my forehead.

 

I’m going to take a look around.

 

If he was going to take a look around, where would he look? I passed by more frozen groups. I'm certain we weren't the first one done. I passed by a group that had nothing in their hands as they walked away, and I realized where people who were done went.

 

Rei must have chosen where Miranda-sensei was to check if it was okay to leave.

 

With that in mind, my pace picked up again. Finally, I could feel the pushback of air as I ran, wind. Past the trees. Past everyone.

 

When I finally got to the opening, there was a frozen Miranda-sensei who appeared to be talking with someone I didn't recognize. She was gathering up some litter from the ground. Several other groups appeared to be done as well.

 

But in the end, Kazane was nowhere to be seen. Neither were Rei and Ayaka.

 

Wherewherewhere.

 

I grabbed and pulled the back of my hair to distract myself from the despair I was feeling.

 

Theyareok,theyareok,theyareok.

 

Frustration ran through my veins. Nothing seemed to move but me. I clenched my jaw and walked forward, paying cation to my surroundings.

 

Wherewherewhere.

 

Ignoring the burning feeling in my stomach, my hand shook as I closed my eyes, pushing myself forward. Yet, no matter how many steps I took, I couldn't see or hear anyone.

 

A laughter built in my lips as I stopped.

 

“ーNobody's here, is there? I'm all alone in this cold world.”

 

My hands shook.

 

“Kazane. Rei, Ayaka. I wonder where you guys went. I thought I was smart enough to find you all, thought I was fast enough to catch up to you all, but it really seems. In the end, I wasn't any of those.”

 

Gritting my teeth, I looked around.

 

It was always painful when I moved by myself, feeling like no one else was moving. If anyone, even Ayaka was with me now, I wouldn't have felt so frustrated. Instead, I ended up looking at a frozen human. He had short black hair and a nice pale face.

 

“Oh, oh, I knew it. I wasn't alone. Heh heh, nice meeting you”

 

As expected, he didn't respond. I didn't know why I found it so satisfying, even though there was no way the other party could remember. I even forgot about GIRUS, Kazane, and the others at the moment. On his nametag was “Jacob”.

 

“Well, Jacob, this is our first talk, and most likely our last. Perhaps though, we'll have the chance to talk again. Maybe, you're a CHK too.”

 

I turned around and left, having a slight hope that I would see Jacob again.

 

Wherewherewhere.

 

As I took a step forward, I almost let out a laugh.

 

That was no good, I was going to get exposed to the GIRUS if I did. But I found everything so funny. All this CHK, GIRUS nonsense.

 

And so, when I ran into the three of them, I laughed. So hard that I almost fell over, as I clutched my side. It was madness. Perhaps I went insane from all the GIRUS, CHK things I was told. Perhaps it was all the panic I felt when left alone, hoping to find them.

 

The hooded cloaks turned as they heard me. In their hand, held a dark, purple orb. Of course, they weren't Ayaka, Kazane, and Rei. They were GIRUS. They were the real GIRUS. They had every intention to kill me.

 

Even though I couldn’t hear them, as they talked among themselves, I could imagine what they were saying.

 

“That's really one of them?”

“There's no way he's sane.”

“Do we really need to kill him?”

 

I could only laugh. Unlike when Ayaka pointed the stone at my neck, I felt numb. Almost as if I couldn't think anymore.

 

“W-woah! I-its the real enemies! That was no prank!”

 

Was the only thought I had.

 

The GIRUS in the front hood fell off. He had short, blond hair that was curly. In his hand, held a dark, purple orb.

 

The next second I blinked, he was in front of me. And then, he opened his mouth.

 

“May your next laugh be in the pits of Hell.”

 

He smashed the purple orb into me.

 

Pain shot through my body. My back slammed into the ground with a large thud, the sound of leaves crackling as I landed.

 

Owowowow!

 

When I opened my mouth to cry out, nothing came. When I looked down, my eyes widened as a surge of pain shot through me.

 

My green shirt was dark red, as the grass around me was soaked with red. My shirt reeked of blood, so much that I could feel my consciousness sipping into the darkness.

 

Ithurts,ithurts,ithurts!

 

I clutched my stomach to suppress the pain. Blood soaked my hands till they were red. The only taste in my mouth was my own blood. My vision blurred, the trees looking like a smear of green, the figure in front of me blurring into white. I felt as if I could pass out any second.

 

Saveme,saveme,saveme,saveme!

 

“What a crazy kid.”

 

The blurry white figure turned around from me and walked away. Shaking, my hand reached out for him. Blood dripped from it, forming puddles on the grass.

 

Save me!

 

But he paid no attention as he got further and further from me. In turn, my throat constricted, and breathing was impossible. The pain was slowly numbing. My body was getting colder. All my energy left, and my hand fell into the pool of blood. Darkness tugged at the edge of my vision. With every blink, I found it harder to open my eyes again.

 

As I wiggled in agony, the sharp pain of reality hit me, waking me up from my broken state. I was going to die. Taking a stand, laughing, like a madman who thought, “it was for real, an adventure”. Thinking that I was special enough to get anywhere.

 

My bad, Kazane.

 

In the end, I was nothing more than a clown. A joker, making his final jokes.