Battle Royale: Yet to End

Ju-Ichi

   The clock hit exactly 10:30 AM. Sectors A=5, C=1 and A=6 we're now all danger zones. Suprisingly, no one ventured into those zones yet. Lucky they didn't because it won't be any fun. The sun shone brightly on the island; everything was visible and easy to see. At the southern tip of the island was a beautiful beach. In it was a sparkling dump of white sand with matching rocks of different sizes, shapes and colors. Around this time, a group of girls consisting of Kaiyo Hattori (Female Student No. 10), Tamayo Yaidzu (Female Student No. 15) and Sumiko Yoshiko (Female Student No. 17) arrived. The sounds of gunshots during their journey here frightened them. Nobody in the three of them witnessed any deaths, but were hoping not to.

   They went for the farmost end of the beach to the left. A small abandoned lighthouse about 3-storeys high stood on the edge of the cliff above them. The topmost floor, which held the very bulb of the lighthouse, was worn out and its steel railings were almost broken, making it risky for those who will climb up to the top. They went for a row of big boulders near the cliff, laid their bags there and sat down, setting aside the fact that their lives are at stake.

   The vast sea spreaded out endlessly and a sea breeze began to blow, making their hair sway a bit in the breeze.

  Then, Kaiyo began to weep. "I... I can't do this anymore. I can't stand this... I don't want to do this anymore."

   Sumiko rested her hand on Kaiyo's shoulder. "Look, we'll find a way to get out of here in one piece. We just have to keep calm and keep ourselves down. The three of us are the only ones who are going to help out each other in the end. We have to work together." Her words may be reassuring, but Kaiyo continued to cry.

   "We just have to leave it at our smart girl here!", cheered Tamayo. Yes, Sumiko is a very intelligent and resourceful girl. She can turn ordinary things into something to her advantage. Unlike the other two brains of the class, Natsumi Nichiya (Female Student No. 13) and Bachiko Namatame (Female Student No. 16), she is far more superior than them when it comes to being resourceful. She thinks out of the box and doesn't let an opportunity pass. She'll jump into it right away.

   Sumiko blushed. "Well... Thanks, Tamayo. So," She pulled her bag from behind her and opened it. She rummaged through its contents and pulled out three small pineapple-sized dark green containers. These containers were hand grenades, the weapons assigned to her.

   "I haven't got a plan yet, but we just have to keep going. I admit I'm panicking; that's why I can't think straight, but I'll try to cook up a plan once we took a rest here. We still have around 2 days more until these necklaces pop off." She pointed at the necklace, which a part of it shined in the sunlight. "But one thing's for sure, we'll get out of here."

   Tamayo and Kaiyo nodded as they stared at her. Sumiko had fair brown skin, average facial features and hair that reached down to the middle of her back. Her hair swayed with the sea breeze, and so did her green pleated skirt. Sumiko stared at the horizon with her eyes squinted because of the sun's bright rays.

   Kaiyo stopped crying at once and said shyly, "Thank God I have you guys. You're really great."

   Tamayo returned her thanks with a bright smile while Sumiko shook her head and answered, "Its nothing. We're glad to have you onboard too, Kaiyo."

    After a long time, Kaiyo felt security and kindness, even if it meant only two people to show that to her. She was like the ghost of the class. No one really talked to her that much out of unknown because she was transferred to Class A a few months after the school year began. To be really true, her father was a criminal in Fukushiwa-cho, the city where she and all her classmates came from. The Hattori family received negative views from others and said they were "bad blood". Her father - named Akira Hattori - was involved in numerous robbery cases and about three murder cases. Her mother forced her and her family to move out of Fukushiwa-cho, but it was their home city and Kaiyo loved it there.

    A few months before the Program, her father was involved again in a robbery case.

    Kaiyo was watching the television along with her mother, Masako when a news report appeared on the screen.

    The newscaster announced, "Another robbery was witnessed by our camera in the city's north district which happened around 4 PM in the afternoon. One of them was one of Fukushiwa-cho's most wanted as declared by the police. It was Akira Hattori, a man pursued by the police after numerous attempts of escaping the law."

    Masako sighed as she sipped her coffee, "Looks like your father did it again."

   Kaiyo can't help thinking that her father actually did those kinds of things but realized it was all true. "Mom, I'm scared. My classmates will pick on me again tomorrow. I'm sure they'll do because of this news. I can't stand this anymore."

    "I understand, child. But it is your father. He chose his own path. He can do what he wants. You too, in some way, can. Look, thinking about it will only make you feel worse. Just ignore your classmates and get on with school. I assure you that after you graduate from junior high school, I'll transfer you to a college far from here, where no one will know about your father."

   As much as she wants that, she can't help feeling worried for her father. What if he gets into some kind of danger? What if he dies? HE is still her father. She can't erase that from her life.

   Her thoughts went back the present. She then thought, if only I didn't get transferred to this section, I would never get caught up in this. Then again, she is here now, in her future grave. She is still uncertain of what will happen to her, whether she'll live or die. 

    But as long as she has company, she has nothing to fear of... somehow.

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