Plop!
A heavy thud echoed as something hit the ground, followed immediately by a bloodcurdling scream.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
Hiroki Kadotani's upper body had fallen to the ground. But what was even more terrifying was that he was still alive.
As is commonly known, being cut in half doesn't always result in instant death. Most people die only after bleeding out, all while experiencing the terror of their life slipping away.
Ota Masaru stood there in shock, frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
But while he stood dazed, Takahashi Ryoichi, now fully deranged, did not hesitate.
He raised the axe again and slashed it across the immobilized Ota.
"Guh!"
Blood sprayed across the trail.
Ota's body collapsed heavily to the ground.
It was only at that moment that Ota finally realized what had happened. The next moment brought searing pain and the numbing loss of sensation from his lower body.
His mind blank, he turned his head stiffly—only to see his lower half still standing in place, with blood gushing violently from the severed point.
"…Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The instant he realized he had been cut in half, his delayed nerves finally reacted.
The surge of agony was so overwhelming it triggered his gag reflex. The intensity of his fear and pain pushed him past his limit, and his vision spun.
Then he passed out.
But Hiroki Kadotani wasn't as lucky.
The sheer intensity of the pain and the overwhelming fear forced him to stay conscious.
"Taka…hashi… why…"
Kadotani choked out, barely able to form the question.
"Why?"
Takahashi tilted his head slightly, as if searching his memories. After a moment, he crouched beside the blood-soaked bodies with the axe still in hand.
"Why do you think?" he asked, smiling faintly. "Two years ago, Atsuko committed suicide. Do I really need to say more?"
Kadotani coughed up blood, his face filled with disbelief and pain.
"Atsuko's death wasn't our fault! It wasn't mine or Ota's!"
"She committed suicide! The police confirmed it back then!"
"Yeah, Atsuko committed suicide."
Takahashi didn't deny it. He was well aware that the official conclusion was suicide, and the school's surveillance backed it up.
Before and after the time of Atsuko's hanging, no one had entered or exited the clubroom. Every potential suspect had an airtight alibi. Everything pointed to one irrefutable conclusion:
Atsuko had taken her own life.
Takahashi smiled coldly.
"Of course I know she committed suicide… but so what?"
"You and Ota always looked down on me and Atsuko. Just because I'm short and fat and not good-looking. Just because Atsuko was quiet, bad at socializing, and came from a poor family."
"You two always clung to Miss Suzuki and the woman who drove Atsuko to her death—Chikako."
"You know what I really think? You two are pathetic. Just a couple of lapdogs!"
"But Miss Suzuki and Chikako never once took you seriously. So what did you do? You took all the frustration and rejection you felt from them and dumped it on me and Atsuko."
"Isn't that how you've always acted?"
Takahashi had completely snapped.
Everything he'd bottled up all these years came pouring out.
But none of it made sense to Kadotani. None of it justified what had just happened.
This guy… is completely insane…
Kadotani's vision was fading. His eyes were losing light, and even his voice was slipping away.
He knew it was over.
His body was beyond saving.
All he could do was quietly await the end.
"Tch. Dead already?"
Takahashi muttered with clear disappointment as he watched Kadotani lose all movement.
He had intended to torment him more, but ended up talking too long.
"Whatever. These two were just appetizers. The main course is still waiting for me at the villa."
With that thought, Takahashi's expression smoothed out. His earlier discontent disappeared, and he returned to his docile appearance.
If not for the blood on his hands and the still-dripping axe, he might've looked like a normal, harmless man.
Takahashi calmly packed up the axe and prepared to leave.
A few moments later, after his footsteps faded away, Ota Masaru suddenly opened his eyes.
"I… know…"
What he saw was Takahashi standing in front of him, smiling with the axe raised high.
"T-Takahashi…"
Thunk!
The axe swung down and severed his neck, ending his voice for good.
"Can't have you calling the cops and ruining my revenge."
Takahashi rummaged through Ota's bag and found the phone. But when he checked it, there was no signal.
"No service out here, huh."
Returning to his calm, innocent expression, he glanced at Kadotani's vacant eyes.
After a moment's thought, he raised the axe again.
"Just to be safe."
He brought the axe down and severed Kadotani's neck as well.
With both targets confirmed dead, Takahashi began cleaning up.
Using the water and cleaning supplies he had prepared earlier, he washed the blood from his hands and face. Once he looked tidy again, he resumed walking toward the villa.
As for the two mutilated corpses left on the trail, there was no need to worry about anyone discovering them out here.
…
Back at the villa, two of the girls who had been watching through the crystal ball had already run to the bathroom to vomit.
No normal person, especially a girl, could endure the horror of what they had just witnessed.
Only Sonoko, who had long been exposed to the darker corners of the world, managed to stay and watch the whole thing. Even so, her face had gone pale.
"That guy… is completely insane."
Sonoko felt a deep chill run down her spine.
Because she didn't just see what Takahashi Ryoichi had done.
She also saw the evil spirit lurking behind him in the shadows.
(To be continued.)
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