The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 3: Chapter 14

Day 1 <D> The Common Area

Daiya’s claim that he wants to stop Kingdom Royale from functioning could be true.

“If you all don’t want to murder one another, then we should all come out in the open about our Classes.”

That’s his proposal, after all. If we all tell one another our Classes, then no one can lie. Furthermore, the Class Daiya would reveal is the Sorcerer, one that’s capable of killing.

“…Is that the conclusion you reached after consulting with Hoshino?” In the end, it’s the president who breaks the lengthy silence.

“Yeah. I don’t feel like playing along with this game.”

“That’s all well and good. But I wonder if that’s true? This is just an example, but—”

“Let me just say this: I’ll assume that anyone who doesn’t go along with this plan intends on playing Kingdom Royale.”

“You can’t just say that.”

“Can’t I? I’m the only one who gets to decide how I judge things,” Daiya retorts.

The president scowls.

“B-but, Iroha, I was thinking of suggesting exactly the same idea,” Yuri says.

“…Yeah, I kinda sensed that during our Private Meeting.”

The president looks around at all of us, then asks, “Are we all fine with this? If you have any objections, speak up.”

No one says a thing. I had thought Kamiuchi might object, since this is Daiya’s plan, but he doesn’t give a peep. Maybe because Yuri agrees with it.

“Ugh… Seriously?” the president complains. “Well, guess I can’t very well go against it and be the odd one out…”

“So you’re for revealing our Classes?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Once the president gives up, Daiya hands us each a piece of notebook paper from his hemp sack.

“Write down your Class on these. I only have one pen, so we’ll have to take turns. Make sure no one sees you while you’re writing so there won’t be any cheating. Once you’re done, put your paper facedown. Then, once I give the signal, we’ll all flip them over at the same time.”

Daiya writes first, and then we all write our Classes as directed: Maria, followed by me, the president, Yuri, and Kamiuchi. There are now six pieces of paper facedown on the table.

“All right, show ’em.”

Everyone turns over their paper. I read the Class on each one.

Maria is the Double.

The president is the King.

Yuri is the Prince.

Kamiuchi is the Knight.

And then Daiya—who I had thought might pull something—is the Sorcerer, just as he claimed.

“…So Hoshino is the Revolutionary… Phew, that’s a bit of a relief. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it was Kamiuchi.”

“Hang on there, President—what’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Um, yeah. Exactly what I said.”

Kamiuchi grimaces with a “Whoa!”

“How about it, Your Presidency?” Daiya asks. “Seems like just the type of outcome to put you at ease, eh?”

“…Yeah. Unless Hoshino is secretly some scheming bastard, then I guess I’m okay with it.”

“…Hey, come on.”

Daiya ignores my pouting and continues, “I also have one more proposal. I want to collect all the knives we were given. This won’t entirely prevent violence, but it’s still safer than the alternative.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to hoard all the knives for yourself, Oomine?” Kamiuchi says. “In that case, I’m against it. It’s way too dangerous to leave all that power in your hands.”

“Hmph, well then, how about we gather them all in someone else’s room?”

The president cuts in. “How about Yuri’s or Hoshino’s rooms? They seem like the most valid choices. Anyway, I’m fine with either one, so how about you two work it out?”

“Huh?” “Huh?”

The two of us, who were just picked, exclaim at the same time and look at each other.

“Oh, go ahead, Hoshino.”

“Oh, it’s okay. Why don’t you do it, Yuri?”

“I couldn’t…”

“I couldn’t, either…”

“I think you would keep the knives stored safe and sound, Hoshino, so…”

“I’d feel safer if it was you, Yuri.”

“But…”

“You’d just be holding on to them.”

“But it’d be the same if they were with you—”

“Okay, okay, the knives go with Yuri.” The president stops our conversation with a clap of her hands, then settles the matter herself.

“I-Iroha.”

“Pipe down, it’s settled! Each of us will bring our knives tomorrow during <B>. Yuri will then collect them. How does that sound? Satisfied now, Oomine?”

“Not yet.”

The president lets out a breath at Daiya’s statement. “Okay, your imperial majesty, what shall we do next?”

Daiya carries on, completely disregarding the president’s sarcasm. “We’ve stopped Kingdom Royale temporarily. But our objective isn’t just to stop it, but to escape it altogether. All we did now was reach a preliminary agreement. If the situation changes, that won’t hold true any longer.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see that. So what, then? Does that mean you know something especially vital?”

“I know a way to get us out of the game.”

The president and the rest of us freeze at his retort.

…Daiya, you can’t mea—

“We just need to destroy the Box.”

He really did it. He acknowledged the existence of Boxes in front of the others.

Even though he is currently the prime suspect.

“Boxes do indeed exist, as Maria Otonashi said. If you can’t believe that, then just think of the Box as an analogy for whatever forced us into this mess. At any rate, in order to accomplish our goal, we need to destroy this Box. And we can do this by killing the owner, or the one in possession of the Box.”

“But didn’t Otonashi basically say you were the owner?”

“…I’m going to retract that estimation for the time being.” Maria jumps into the conversation with a stern face. “This doesn’t change the fact that Oomine is my prime suspect. I’ve just concluded that a decision would be a little premature. I felt this during my Private Meeting just now, and the plan Oomine proposed will undoubtedly prevent any killing… That’s why I can’t be certain Oomine is the owner.”

The president tilts her head in obvious puzzlement at Maria’s unexpected assistance. Neither I nor Maria is sure how much of what Daiya’s saying is sincere. We don’t know what his aims are for us.

Still, there’s no mistaking the truth that Kingdom Royale is the work of a Box.

If we can just get everyone to believe that, then the game will not start. And then, we can work as one and find a solution to—

“Oh, give me a break.”

My optimistic thoughts come to a screeching halt.

Everyone focuses on Kamiuchi, the source of the outburst.

“Why are you even seriously considering this, President? There’s no need to think about any of it.”

“…Why is that?”

Kamiuchi flashes a condescending smile at the president’s question, then bluntly replies:

“I mean—the three of them are totally in cahoots, right?”

I’m…chilled to the bone.

There isn’t a trace of his usual flippancy on his face. Instead, it’s blank, with a hint of something hard and cold lurking underneath.

“This is just a trap. None of us has any idea what type of person would be an owner, right? That’s why if we start searching for this owner, we’d have no choice but to follow these three in everything during our hunt. Do you know what that means?”

Kamiuchi continues with a thin smile.

“These guys—can set somebody up as the owner we have to kill.”

What—

What is he saying…?

“We have no intention of killing the owner—”

“—Shut up.”

A single sentence. That’s all it takes to create an enormous impact.

I’m instantly aware of something. This person is—different. From an unknown world. And his world—contains violence.

Not one of us is able to open our mouth.

The long silence is finally broken as Kamiuchi lets out a deep exhalation. He breathes several times, in-out, in-out, and he’s wearing his usual clownish expression.

But it’s impossible to see it the same way as before.

“You can’t believe all this Box crap, either, can you, Yuri?”

Yuri gulps audibly.

He’s forcing her to take his side. He won’t allow any dissenting opinions.

“……I, um…”

He’s trying to get Yuri to agree with him. By doing so, he can establish a false rationale for rejecting our ideas.

That’s his aim.

If Yuri agrees with him, we’re done for.

But it’s no good. As weak willed as she is, Yuri isn’t capable of rejecting him the way he is now.

With tears in her eyes, Yuri looks at me for a moment before averting her gaze.

Then, with trembling lips, she whispers:

“……No, I can’t believe it.”

Yep, we’re screwed.

Or so I thought. But then—

“…But…”

—she keeps speaking.

“…at the very least, I think I can trust Hoshino. So the idea that he would be trying to trap us…is something I…can’t accept.”

She can’t accept it.

She said it clearly. She was trembling and scared, but she still managed to push Kamiuchi’s opinion to the side and defend me.

Maybe because she had to summon so much bravery, Yuri ducks down on the spot, places her hands over her chest, and lets out a ragged breath.

Kamiuchi regards her with wide eyes, probably because he never expected her to refute him. He then directs a piercing gaze toward me. I swallow hard, feeling exactly like a criminal about to be sentenced by a judge.

“Well, I can also acknowledge that Hoshino here seems like an upstanding guy.”

Only then does the hostility disappear from his features.

…Did we ride it out…?

Yuri raises her face and looks at me. Her tense face relaxes, and she smiles.

That’s how, thanks to Yuri’s bravery, we were able to hold on to some hope of finding a resolution.

Daiya, the president, Kamiuchi, and Maria all return to their own rooms. Just as I’m about to follow them through the door, Yuri grabs my hand.

“What’s up?”

I notice it as soon as the words leave my mouth. Her hand is shaking.

“…I was…scared.” She murmurs this, not raising her head. “That guy…terrified me.”

“Yeah… But…you really helped us all. Thank you.”

I smile at Yuri to reassure her, but her face remains as frightened as before.

“My Private Meeting.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m scared of my next Private Meeting…with that guy.” Yuri’s complexion is as white as it was when I first saw her.

“I-it’ll be okay. Kamiuchi seems to like you, so I’m sure—”

“—That’s why I’m scared!!”

She looks up and raises her voice enough to startle me. She looks down again, embarrassed at her loud exclamation.

“S-sorry for losing my composure.”

“I-it’s okay…”

What’s this all about?

In the Private Meetings, we’re alone with the other person in our cell-like rooms. Kamiuchi has a thing for Yuri, so I can’t imagine he would kill her, but—

“Oh…”

The realization hits me.

I know exactly what Yuri is so afraid of.

I think she sees I’ve caught her meaning, because she grips me tight.

“……I really meant it, you know?”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t say I could trust you earlier because I wanted Kamiuchi to back down. I said it because I meant it.”

Her trembling grows even more intense. I’m getting worried, so I peer into her downturned face.

“I’m scared… So scared.”

Yuri is crying.

What do I do? What am I supposed to do here?

This isn’t the type of situation I can think my way through, so for the time being I just squeeze her shaky hand in reply.

Yuri places her left hand over mine and grips me even tighter.

“Oh…”

Again.

It’s happening again.

I’m remembering, again.

I remember Nana Yanagi even more vividly than I did when I heard Yuri’s name.

In fact, how could I have forgotten her so completely? It hasn’t even been two years, but recently, her existence hadn’t crossed my mind at all. I had blocked her out of my thoughts like none of it had ever happened.

Could it be that my wish to forget Nana Yanagi, the wish I had been praying for from the moment I betrayed her, had actually been granted?

It had—by completely blotting it out with mundanity.

“On the contrary, you were abnormal even before you came into contact with a Box.”

That doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with it.

“…I’m sorry, Hoshino, I’m sorry… I’m going to say something selfish, but please forgive me. I trust you, of my own volition. That’s why I ask—”

She says it. Yanagi says it.

“That’s why I ask—please don’t betray me.”

The tearful entreaty on her face…for some reason it resembles her, my first love.

And then, the moment I think it, the words leave my mouth.

“I won’t. I won’t betray your trust again, Yanagi.”