4. Red Queen's Hypothesis

 

(0/7)

 

The request was made by one of the police officers working in Harunire City.

 

He had a strong sense of justice. It was so strong that he himself realized it deviated significantly from the world's average. He believed it was permissible to judge evil that could not be caught by the hands of the law using back channels. He knew that woman was the root of all evil regarding the delinquent group troubling our city. She had to be removed. By any means necessary.

 

Even if that means was placing a request with a hitman.

 

The first person to transfer money to that website was a certain housewife.

 

She heard about the site's existence from a mom-friend in the neighborhood. It was a site for placing requests with hitmen, and currently, it seemed they were recruiting investors for the fee to assassinate the leader of <Red Bear>. No matter how she thought about it, it was a scam site, and her friend had spoken of it strictly in the context of a joke, but the housewife thought maybe. She was utterly fed up with the late-night noise of <Red Bear>. If that noise would disappear because of this—the housewife connected to the site, which could only be accessed using a special browser, and transferred a small amount, just enough that she could spare for a dubious story.

 

At times, members of <Red Bear> also transferred money.

 

Those members thoroughly hated that woman who had returned to the team a year ago. Blowing her own horn selfishly, manipulating the team as if it were her own possession—it was disgusting. At such a time, they heard rumors of the website. Its authenticity was questionable, but they didn't care. If that woman would disappear, they would do anything.

 

The one who made the final transfer that reached the target amount was Hiyori Amano.

 

She had never felt such a cruel mood. She wanted to bring divine punishment down on that organization that hurt her friend. Hearing rumors of the website at such a time, she visited it and found that the request was just a little short of being finalized. Hiyori poured all the funds she had been diligently saving to buy a computer with a good GPU into that site.

 

Go to hell.

 

(1/7)

 

Benitsuya was left alone.

 

(2/7)

 

The conflict ended. The battle was over.

 

Everyone, without exception, had their wills broken, down to the last one.

 

Benitsuya went down to the first floor of the hotel. To the conscious ones among the <Red Bear> members rolling around covered in wounds, she announced, "Do whatever you like, all of you." She ordered them to convey the same words to the other members when they woke up. She didn't say she was disbanding <Red Bear>—but naturally, it would come to that. Everyone must have learned their lesson to the bone.

 

Leaving the hotel and starting the motorcycle parked in the old parking lot, Benitsuya headed home.

 

On the way—that ghost woman's last words repeated in her brain.

 

If you want to do it for real, come to the game world.

 

Benitsuya understood what that meant. Benitsuya had heard rumors about the <Game>—it seems there is an entertainment in the underworld where young girls bet their lives and challenge murder games. That ghost woman is surely a player in it.

 

If it's there—will I be able to do well this time?

 

While thinking such things, Benitsuya arrived at her home.

 

It was a rather large detached house. When was the last time she came back? Because she lived a life flying here and there for <Red Bear>'s underground business, her sleeping places were indefinite, be it a member's house, a business hotel, or that abandoned hotel. Since it had been so long, it took time to remember where she had put the key. Inserting the key taken from her coat's breast pocket into the front door and turning it, Benitsuya stepped into her long-unvisited home. She lived alone and had no pets, so no one welcomed her.

 

Benitsuya walked down the hallway leading to the living room. On the way, she passed the washroom.

 

It was then.

 

A faint pressure was applied to Benitsuya's neck.

 

(3/7)

 

Endori, who was lurking in the washroom, timed Benitsuya passing by and stepped out into the hallway.

 

Then, approaching Benitsuya from behind, she crawled a thin thread around her neck and strangled her. After strangling for about ten seconds, Benitsuya lost consciousness and crumpled on the spot.

 

Soon, the Supporter came from the washroom, and from there they followed the usual procedure. Wrapping a tourniquet-like device around the target's neck, covering the whole body thoroughly with hemp sacks, the two carried her to the car parked out front. The Supporter took out his smartphone from his pocket and stopped the stopwatch running on the screen.

 

"Hmm... Five minutes and two seconds," the Supporter said.

 

"It was far to the car this time," Endori answered.

 

After watching the Supporter's car drive away, Endori returned inside the house and looked around the scene. Confirming that no evidence remained, she exhaled a breath, phew.

 

Job complete.

 

This job was a bit troublesome. The target—Nanahoshi Benitsuya's address was known, and she lived alone, so they wanted to make that the execution site, but because Benitsuya lived a life of not returning home at all, they couldn't do that. Her daily life pattern was also quite unstable, making it hard to grasp when and where she was doing what, so it seemed difficult to make a plan.

 

In the end, they apparently made a plan to plant a transmitter on the target and wait for the timing. To end the conflict quickly, they also did things like handing the smartphone linked to the transmitter to involved parties. Eventually, matters were settled, and fortunately, the target seemed to head home, so they went ahead, snuck in, and executed the assassination—that was the story.

 

Haa, Endori sighed.

 

Endori knew the target this time—Benitsuya. She could also vaguely imagine the reason for being killed. <Red Bear>'s recent activities were too much to overlook. So, someone probably put out a murder request. Thinking that if she was gone, the organization's activities would also lie low.

 

However, killing her no matter what is...

 

It's tough after all, Endori thought. She had been thinking about various things, but she couldn't find meaning in this job so easily. But however—it sounds like rhetoric, but she was able to have the meaning of searching for meaning. With just that, it seems she can continue for the time being.

 

For now, still—.

 

(4/7)

 

Yuuki felt a chill.

 

(5/7)

 

The conflict ended—put on Akane's bike, Yuuki was sent to Tochinoki-so.

 

She could have just returned to her room and slept like a log as Akane did, but Yuuki went out for a night walk. Although her body was battered and exhausted, there wasn't a single bit of food in the house, so she decided to go buy a late-night snack at the convenience store.

 

"...!"

 

—In the midst of that, Yuuki felt a chill.

 

It was of the same kind as she felt the other day.

 

The conflict should have already ended but—does this mean remnants still remain somewhere and are continuing the fight?

 

"........."

 

Yuuki strained her ears to the surroundings.

 

She can't hear it anymore. The sound of motorcycles. It's natural since everyone in the team fought as much as they could and are exhausted.

 

However, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and thereafter, that noisy motorcycle sound will probably never be heard again. Because <Red Bear> has disbanded—. That somehow made Yuuki feel impermanence. When that sound existed, she thought it's noisy, but thinking she can never hear it again, she felt a loneliness in that.

 

It is the loneliness of the impermanence of all things.

 

Even the Red Queen cannot run forever.

 

There is nothing that doesn't change. There is nothing that doesn't end—any organization, any person.

 

Yuuki clenched and opened her left hand.

 

How about me? How much power do I have left? How much longer can I continue being a player?

 

While thinking so, as she continued her walk—

 

"Excuse me."

 

She was called out to from behind.

 

(6/7)

 

Yuuki turned around.

 

The sidewalk along the main street Yuuki was walking on—there, one bus stop was installed. It was an old bus stop, probably placed about two eras ago.

 

Beside it was a bench. This was also an old steel bench that made one think a long time had passed since its installation.

 

The time was midnight. Needless to say, the time for the last bus had passed, and one had to wait for the next morning for the next bus to come—despite that, there was a person sitting on the bench. Yuuki recognized the person who had their arms on the backrest, legs crossed, and was taking the haughtiest posture possible.

 

It was Shirou.

 

The player with wolf-like hair whom she met in the game the other day.

 

No, wait—Yuuki thought. When she passed this bus stop earlier, there shouldn't have been anyone. Where on earth and how did she appear?

 

"—What a coincidence. To meet in a place like this."

 

While Yuuki was bewildered, Shirou delivered her next line.

 

Standing up from the bench, she walked toward Yuuki.

 

"How about it? Since we're here, why don't we talk a little?"

 

"........."

 

Yuuki didn't answer.

 

Without answering, she walked silently toward Shirou. With a grim face, Yuuki approached Shirou to within arm's reach, and then slowly reached out both hands forward and—

 

touched Shirou's chest pat-pat.

 

She felt the texture of the fabric of expensive-looking clothes and the warmth of human skin.

 

"........."

 

"........."

 

"...What is the matter?"

 

After a time of silence, Shirou asked.

 

"I don't think my chest has enough volume to be fun to touch, though."

 

"No... I wanted to confirm your existence..."

 

Yuuki answered.

 

For the time being, it seems she isn't a phantom—this time.

 

(7/7)

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