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The charging room’s light was utterly ineffective at doing the one thing it was supposed to do. Shin wished that they would at least provide them with phones or flashlights. Having to trek through the dark did not get easier, no matter how many times he had been forced to do so during this death game.
“What do you look so grumpy for?”
The thin young man turned around to see the Dummy that he was assigned to partner with. Kurumada looked like he was a former shell of the supposed ‘convertible of destruction’ he was once. The muscular boxer couldn’t even manage to walk for more than five minutes straight, and his battery was on the edge of finally giving out.
“None of your business. We’re no longer partners anymore; why should I tell you anything?”
“We’re not partners, but you’re still here. I say that you’re a scaredy-cat that’s hiding here with the literal handicap of the team. You gonna offer me as a sacrifice if an obstructor comes here?”
“Like an obstructor would fit through the door. I think you’re the scared one, Kurumada. How about you stop projecting your failures onto other people? Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten injured if you would’ve recognized your flaws.” Shin could feel the emotions going through Kurumada at that moment; the shame, the subconscious need to flinch, the immediate act of hiding those things. People were easy to puppeteer around, after all, he should know; the person that knows the most about pulling strings the best would be one that was once a puppet to someone else.
The injured dummy let out a hearty chuckle, quickly following it with a slight wince from the sudden movement. “Fair! I’m glad that I got partnered with someone sharp. Brawn and brains…” Naomichi glanced at his own skewered torso with disdain before continuing. “...or well, very short-winded brawn. My stamina went down the drain once that pancake bitch made a mess out of me. Not my brightest moment, I admit.”
“I agree.”
“But if you’re not here to offer me as cannon fodder, then what are you here for?” Kurumada adjusted himself slightly, grunting as the charger moved within the inside of his chest, and a slight electric shock coursed through his mechanical body. “Ugh, this fucking thing... could they not at least design it to not be comfortable? It feels like I swallowed a fucking car battery.”
“You are just walking car batteries. Why the long face? Don’t you like being surrounded by machines?”
“Hey, shut up!” Kurumada harshly hollered. “How can you say that after we helped you for so long?! I’m like this because we helped you guys fight Maple off, you’re so damn-”
“You’re just an enemy to me.” Shin gripped his scarf to hide his wavering mouth. How could Hiyori do this so effortlessly? Trying to play the part was hard, but certainly not impossible. “You allied yourselves with Midori, and almost let him get away with taking a kill that’s mine . Why should I care for what you think? You’re all probably reprogrammed to turn on us when the time is right anyways.”
“Y-you!” Kurumada’s fists slammed the ground as he tried to reach for Shin’s leg, yet the charger doubled as a chain keeping him glued to his spot. “We’re human, just like you! So what if we’re machines?! I’m more human than you, I at least got some fuckin’ empathy in me!” He tried for a grab a second time, but it was still futile. “Ngh, dammit! You should be grateful that I’m all busted up, or I would’ve broken you in half! You’re as much of an asshole as Midori!!
“Don’t you dare compare me to him!” The comparison made Shin writhe in disgust. Nausea spread all over his body at the thought of it, gripping his beanie and leaning over as if he was just on the verge of throwing up. “Just, shut up… God dammit…”
“Woah, uh…” Kurumada looked away from the sorry sight. “It appears that I hit a sore spot there, huh? Sorry about that.”
“Zip it.” Shin snapped. “You’re all so damn annoying…”
“Heh, I don’t blame ya… you don’t look like someone who’s unscathed. He did something to you, didn’t he?” The silence was all that Kurumada was greeted with, the young scarf-clad man refusing to let out a single word as he hid his face under the dot-patterned’s protection. “And I don’t mean that stupid form… he did something else to you in particular. I can tell, the way you looked at him once he opened his big mouth.”
“...So what if he did? That’s not something you’d need to know.”
“I don’t need to, but I sure want to. I heard that Sara girl commenting on how she felt sorry for you after she used the lantern with you. I assume that our meetings with him weren’t even close to whatever the hell you did with him.”
“Are you accusing me of being in cahoots with him? Don’t say things you’d regret, or maybe I’ll end up accidentally unplugging you.”
“Oh, daring! I do wonder if you would be able to walk away alive. Even Hinako seems to be stronger than you.”
“How would you know? You’re a walking pile of scrap now.”
“When Keiji was trying to tag Midori, I restrained you. You were as light as a feather. I barely had to make an effort to keep ya there.”
“Oh, did you? I forgot about that. I just can’t seem to remember.” A flashy, bright smile. Just like the one Hiyori used to show him whenever he needed to be reaffirmed about something. One so comforting yet so unsettling. “I was too busy trying to kill Midori, but I guess you guys wouldn’t want to kill one of your kind.”
“...You got me there. I was so scared, especially after they showed me that video of me getting smashed into a bloody pulp…” Kurumada gulped, or to be more precise, he performed the motion of it. He felt something going down his throat, but the boxer was sure that it was some sort of synthetic liquid. It didn’t feel the same, it was all so off. “Come on man, don’t be like that. You would’ve done the-”
“Wrong! You’re just damn wrong, you hear me?!” Shin turned harshly towards Kurumada and screeched with such intensity that his throat strained and turned raspy once the words had flown out. “I’m not like all of you, the ones that discard the weak! The children, the helpless, the trusting ones, and then try to beg for forgiveness!”
“Woah! What did I say to tick you off?! Chill out, man!” Kurumada tried to back off as much as he could, Shin looking like a rabid animal who was just angered.
“I’ve seen your damn win-rate! You’re almost as much of a menace as Sara! Why should I even trust you?! Goddammit, why did I have to get stuck with you of all people!?” Shin’s arm shook as if he was shivering. The man was trembling, looking even sicker with each word that came out of his mouth. “Of course you’d say that you’re kind. You actually have a chance of winning!”
“What the hell are you talking about?! Do I have to unplug myself and get up to knock some sense to you!?” Naomichi could feel the panic oozing out of the man that supposedly called himself Sou. The whole name business was not explained to him, since whenever he asked, the scarf-wearing young man would become silent. Whoever in front of him truly was, Kurumada knew that he was in pain . “Shut the hell up and breathe! Midori’s gonna find me at this rate…”
The mention of Hiyori made Shin silent. As soon as he stopped talking, he began to pace back and forth across the few meters of room that they had. The charger took most of the space, so it wasn’t like there wasn’t a lot of space.
In defeat, Shin slumped over on the other side of the room. Kurumada noticed that he was… shivering. His entire body was vibrating slightly as if he was freezing cold.
“...I don’t want to see him.” Shin weakly explained. “I don’t wanna see Hiyori. He’s just… everywhere. Just seeing him makes me feel ill. His words… he still sounds as disgustingly sweet and approachable as usual. Just knowing that a man like him sounds like that… it’s so messed up! A-and… I’m powerless to stop it!”
“...You’re just realizing this now?”
“No, you idiot! You said it yourself… Hiyori is something more than a Floor Master to me. He’s… the vilest person I’ve ever met, and…” Shin breathed in deeply. This confession was something that only Sara had heard of him, and it wasn’t one so willing, considering that she shoved the lantern in his face and would not stop nagging him about it. “...He’s the only person that’s ever given a damn about me. He taught me all I used to survive those far…”
“You talk about chances… But how can you know that? It’s not like they could do tests on us. I mean, they had our AIs specifically for the third-floor gimmick…” Naomichi scoffed once he heard what he had just said. “Look at me, plugged to a fucking machine and talking about dolls and AIs. What have our lives turned into?” He let out a hearty chuckle once again, not minding Shin grimacing with the loud volume of his laugh. “Come on, just being gloomy all the time won’t help you.”
“Gee, just not being sad? How did I not think of that, Mister Scrap Metal?”
“Not that, idiot.” Kurumada would’ve thrown a friendly punch if Shin wasn’t huddled up across the other end of the room. “Don’t you realize why everyone in our group likes Anzu? She’s dead weight, but we all keep her. She’s just… a boost for morale. I’m surprised how you didn’t figure out why they put children and teens here.”
“It’s because they’re sadistic bastards! Kanna and Gin don’t deserve to be here, and neither does Hinako! What is your-”
“It’s ‘cause they keep the adults in check.” Naomichi couldn’t hide his smile once he saw the confusion in Shin’s face manifest. “Tell me, Shin, or Sou, whatever you’re called, have you ever taken care of kids? Any little siblings or cousins?”
Shin fumbled with his shirt, not answering anything for a solid twenty seconds before letting out a heavily calculated response. “...No. It’s always been me. I have no siblings, and most of my family lives overseas. Why do you ask?”
“Ah! Makes sense. Now we’re getting to know each other.” Naomichi tried to scoot closer, although it wasn’t much. They were still very far away from each other. “Kids are like… an anchor. They keep ya grounded, they prevent you from doing heinous shit.”
“Are you serious? You sound like an old woman asking why she has no grandchildren.”
“Really? I wouldn’t know. I had twelve little siblings… well, not by blood, but I think our bonds were strong as blood, if not stronger!”
Sou stared blankly into the black of Naomichi’s eyes, trying to process if he was aware of the bombshell he had just dropped on him.
“I used to steal and even beat people up for cash. We lived in the slums, and they were always sad when they saw me arrive at our hideout all bloodied up. I mean, I was pretty bummed too. Getting your ass handed hurts, and medical supplies are a bitch to steal too.” Naomichi smiled warmly as he remembered each one of them; how they would draw banners advertising his boxing matches, how they would try to drown the sound of hecklers with screams on their own. They were his biggest fans, that was for sure.
Shin continued to listen intently, not saying a word.
“They were the ones that got me to finally drop that life. They didn’t like me stealing n’ shit… I knew it wasn’t right, but I couldn’t see any other option at the moment, and I tried justifying it. They eventually managed to find an underground boxing ring, and after months of being rejected, they suddenly called one day and they accepted me.” Naomichi clenched his fist, loving the texture of the hand wrap. “I would still be beating up people for their money today if it wasn’t for them.”
“What a lovely little story… but I don’t care. I never asked for your sympathy.” Sou continued to glare at Naomichi from his little corner. “So what? What’s your point?”
“The weak are what make strong people be who they are. I’m not saying that you should be happy that people suffered, but… I’m sure you helped someone become stronger. Not Midori, he’s a piece of shit.” Naomichi clarified. “But I’ve heard some chatter from the others. You act like a big, bad villain, but I’ve seen that AI of yours.”
“That’s not me,” Shin said through gritted teeth.
“Sure, whatever you say.” Kurumada crossed his arms. It seemed that Shin was pretty easy to unravel once you learned to ignore his… ‘exotic’ attitude. “But I know that there’s a girl you cared for. I can’t speak for her, but if I tried to guess… is that if she died, she died happy knowing that you could live.”
“So what?! She’s dead! She doesn’t matter anymore!”
“...So why are you angry?”
“I-I…” Shin stuttered.
Bingo. This was so easy. Older sibling experience was truly a blessing, at least it was to Naomichi.
“...Come on. It’s just the two of us. I won’t tell anyone what happened here if you promise to not tell anyone about that whole thing with my siblings. We can’t let everyone know that the big bad boxer used to babysit twelve brats.”
“...God… Kanna… Why…” Shin rubbed his scarf desperately against his watering eyes. “Why did you care? They… What the hell is the point?”
“Let it all out, man. I won’t judge, I’ve cried like a bitch after matches. We all have those bad days.”
“And those bastards can keep walking this earth like… l-like if she didn’t exist. They trampled all over her existence like it was nothing!” Shin’s scarf continued to grow more humid as tears continued to mat the pink cloth. “How is that fair?! How is that fair to me?! I should’ve died that day, not her!”
With each second, Shin’s cries only got more intense. Even with his damaged eyesight, Naomichi could see the young man’s face contort into a mess of tears and snot that was trying to hide under the protection of that cursed scarf.
He said no words as the sound of his sobs echoed through the charging room, the only sound to join them being the cacophony of the charger’s whirring.
Maybe he should’ve said something, but he knew that this was far from his hands. No conversation could fully heal a man so deeply wounded as Shin Tsukimi. All he could lend was a willing set of ears.
“T-This… This isn’t fair…”
In a flash, Naomichi unwrapped one of his hand wraps and chucked it at Shin. “Use this to wipe them away. They’ll see the tear stains in your scarf.” It’s not like he’d be delivering any punches any time soon. Maple and Ranmaru were both dealt with, all that was left was Midori, and he was a threat that couldn’t just be punched away.
Shin glared at the boxer, eyes red and puffy. “...Thank you.”
“You’re welcome… oh, and, can I ask for another favor?”
“What is it now?”
“Get me some soda, dude. I think I’m overheating from this fucking charger.”
Baffled, Shin simply stood up and did as told, not without giving the smirking boxer an odd look.