The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 4: Chapter 8

🔶 Day 1 <F> Kazuki Hoshino’s Room

After that, Yuri and Koudai Kamiuchi decided to join the Group. The former was no surprise, but it caught me off guard how easily the latter agreed. Well, I doubt he gave it much thought at all.

Maria and Daiya are still deferring their decision. This is partly because swearing total obedience to someone isn’t a decision to be made lightly, and also because Iroha says she’s willing to wait until the third day—specifically the <D> time block of the third day—when all of us will be in one place.

Even if she wasn’t waiting, I have my suspicions that from her perspective, we’re already on the side of the instigators.

Not just Iroha, either. I’m pretty sure Yuri’s also on guard against us, though she may not show it. We’ve already been deemed hostile. The Group views us as enemies, and there’s no reason for us to believe we can trust anything they say.

Still, though this may be obvious, I must take action. I have to do away with Iroha’s arrogant notion that she can rule us.

To begin with, there’s no way creating a group system will put an end to the game. It won’t do anything to keep Koudai Kamiuchi’s savage nature in check, and I can’t imagine Iroha will be able to control Yuri’s actions. The two of them may have joined the Group, but they aren’t actually submitting to it. Without access to information from the previous games, Iroha has no way of knowing this.

This is why I have to destroy this whole system.

I don’t think going after Iroha will work, though, now that she’s gone all-in. She’s made it her mission to become the king.

I’ve learned all too well how impossible it is to sway her once she’s locked on to her goal, both from amputation and the events of the third game.

That’s why I need to aim my attack at someone else.

“……If that’s the case, then…”

My target almost sets itself.

Yuri Yanagi.

She won’t be an easy opponent to deal with, herself. But she’s my only means of destroying the Group.

Yeah, that’s it. Tomorrow I need to go after Yuri.

Now that I’ve reached this conclusion, I lie down on the bed.

I’m not in a very favorable position here. I’ve been way too weak. I need to pull myself together and navigate this situation skillfully. But for now—

—the first day is over, and no one has died.

🔶 Day 2 <B> The Common Area

“Okay, hand them over.”

At Iroha’s prompt, Yuri and Koudai Kamiuchi put their rations, knives, and, for some reason, their wristwatches on the table.

Iroha nods and gathers everything up, then puts the beige and green watches around the wrist of her four-fingered left hand. I piece together that this is her way of representing that she has control over them.

…Still, as painful as it looks, Iroha’s expression never changes, almost like she never had a little finger to begin with… I’m sure it still hurts.

“Oh, by the way, it’s no use talking to them, okay? I control what they say, too.”

Thinking back on it, I realize neither of them has so much as opened their mouths for anything beyond basic hellos.

It occurs to me that this means the two of them must have revealed their Classes to her, too.

“Anyway, my group has nothing new to say to you all, so if you have any issues, you can bring them to me.”

Maria glances at me, but she keeps her mouth shut. She knows that this is the work of a Box and that if we can convey this fact properly, we’ll be that much closer to solving this mess.

But she can’t say anything.

Now that Iroha has formed her Group, what’s going to determine how this plays out isn’t the truth of our claims so much as whether she chooses to believe them. If she doesn’t, our chances of recovery afterward aren’t great.

At the very least, it’s safe to assume Maria won’t make a move until she knows why I already knew about the Game of Indolence.

That explains why Iroha, who is acting calm enough to make you forget she cut off her finger, is inevitably the only one doing the talking. She speaks to us cheerfully and casually, trying to get to know us by asking about our hobbies and what we like to do on our days off from school. But we all know that each word could spark misunderstanding and ruin everything for us. We’re like courtroom prosecutors and defendants at a matchmaking party together.

During our entire guarded conversation with Iroha, I’m keeping an eye on Yuri.

She spends pretty much the entire exchange with her head lowered.

If she were to act—

I recall the second game. Unlike Iroha, who does everything out in the open, Yuri works behind the scenes. By the time her actions—her machinations—come to light, it’s too late to do anything about them.

Will Yuri actually make a move? She’s calculating, for better or worse, so it’s unlikely she’ll try anything risky if she’s decided Iroha’s plan is her best chance for survival…

Suddenly, Yuri feels my gaze and raises her head.

Though she seems a bit flustered at the attention, she flashes me a weak, almost wry smile that all but admits to being in a spot of trouble. Just as a small animal has a certain kind of charm, I can’t help finding that helpless smile really cute.

Cute?

Is that what she wants me to think?

We’re on opposite sides, but is she actually trying to win me over instead of keeping her distance?

“……”

I’m overthinking it. She can’t be that aware of her expressions. I know that.

I know it…but I’ve already noticed.

Will Yuri make a move or not?

What a carefree way to think. We’re already way past that stage.

In the second game—when Yuri was admittedly the player, but still—she had already taken action by this point. She always acts quickly. That’s why, even now—she’s long since set things in motion.

Yuri Yanagi’s plans are already underway.

🔶 Day 2 <C> Private Meeting with Yuri Yanagi – Yuri Yanagi’s Room

I need to have my Private Meeting with Yuri immediately.

That’s why I’m unable to keep my promise to choose Daiya. All I can say is that I don’t really have any other choice.

I enter Yuri’s room.

Recognizing that it’s me, Yuri gets up from her bed and bows her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Hoshino. I’m not allowed to speak with you even during Private Meetings. So even if you want to talk to me, I don’t think I’ll be able to reciprocate…”

Interesting behavior.

Yuri should be on guard against me, absolutely positive I’m on the side of the instigator. There’s no doubt of that.

But that isn’t how she acts toward me; instead, she seems to be trying to show that she’s merely following Iroha and doesn’t really hate me.

So she can have a way to get me on her side if she really needs it.

…Sly as she may be, I have to break her down.

“…Iroha isn’t here now. Are you still going to do as she tells you?”

“Um…I have to show Iroha the data from my device.”

Of course Iroha wouldn’t have overlooked that. I had kinda figured that might be the case, though. That’s why I could come up with a countermeasure.

“I’m going to ask you flat out: Are you okay with the way things are now, Yuri?”

“U-um… So, um…I can’t answer those kinds of questions.”

“Do you really think everything will work out if you go along with Iroha’s plan?”

“U-um—”

Troubled, Yuri’s gaze comes to rest upon the table.

She notices what I’ve written on the notebook I set there.

“She won’t know if we write it.”

Messages on paper aren’t saved on our devices. I realized this when Koudai Kamiuchi passed me his note during the second game.

She must understand the implications of what I wrote. Yuri looks at me, her eyes wide.

I hold out the pen to her. I’m sure it’ll take her a moment to decide what to do. She’s frozen, staring at me, hands clasped together in front of her chest.

“…I understand. You can’t say anything. Okay, then I won’t, either. Aw man, guess that’s it, then. This Private Meeting was a complete waste of time…”

As I misrepresent my true intentions to throw Iroha off the trail, my hand is moving.

“What do you really want to do? Are you still going to obey Iroha?”

After writing this, I hold the pen out to Yuri again.

But she shakes her head vigorously as if to say I can’t.

“No matter what?” I write, but Yuri still shakes her head.

…Well, yeah, guess that’s no surprise. She’s wary of me; she has no reason to go along easily with my ideas.

I’m going to need to coerce her a bit. Nudge her along and shake her up.

I scribble down the words I need.

“You didn’t even like him—”

Yuri’s eyes go round at this sudden, nonsensical sentence; then she looks at me. But I’m not done yet. I’m going to shock her, rattle her until she has no choice but to write a reply.

I scribble down the rest.

“—but you still went out with the boy Iroha liked, didn’t you?”

“—!!”

The effect is astounding.

Yuri’s shoulders tremble, and her face goes so white, I feel sorry for her.

Keeping my face impassive, I offer her the pen again. Looking back and forth between the pen and me several times, she finally seems to accept that I won’t take no for an answer and takes it in her hand, on the verge of tears.

She still tries to play dumb, writing in a shaky hand “I don’t know what you mean.” But when I don’t react, she quickly tears off the page and balls it up.

She moves her hand across the paper, tears streaming down her face.

“How do you know that?

“You can’t possibly know.

“Not even Iroha has figured it out.”

Afterward, she hands the notebook and pen back to me. She wipes away her tears and gazes up at me through her lashes.

……Do you really think that look is going to work on me?

“You told me yourself.”

It would be more accurate to say I heard it from Iroha, but that would be too hard to explain in writing.

Yuri shakes her head fearfully.

“I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t told you that. What are you talking about?”

Her responses up to this point are as I imagined they would be. My aim all along was to get her to ask me “Why?”

That’s why I can finally write:

“This isn’t the first time I’ve played Kingdom Royale.”

I guess it’s not enough for her to understand, because Yuri merely peers at me uneasily. She’s smart, though, so I know if I explain this way, she’ll catch on quickly enough.

“I’ve played this game several times with the same people. This is the fourth time.”

Yuri’s eyes bulge. I can see the realization creeping into her gaze, and she begins to shake in fear.

“That’s how I know so much about you.”

She shakes her head violently, refusing to accept the idea. She motions for me to give her the pen.

“You’re lying! I would never tell anyone about my ex-boyfriend.”

“Maybe not under normal circumstances. But are you certain you wouldn’t in an extreme situation like this?”

“—!!”

“I’ve observed you over the course of three games. I’d say I understand you fairly well.

“That’s how I know.”

Why did Iroha adopt such a hard-edged attitude during our Private Meeting yesterday?

I found the answer when I looked at the name of the person she met with before me.

“You talked Iroha into making the groups, didn’t you?”

“Wha—?”

Yuri speaks up without thinking but quickly claps her left hand over her mouth. Without removing her hand, she frantically scribbles in the notebook.

“What are you saying? That I’m the one responsible for making this happen? All of it? I could never do that!”

“The Yuri I know could.”

She didn’t know everything, of course. There’s no way she could have predicted Iroha would lop off her little finger.

All the same, knowing Iroha’s personality as well as she does, Yuri would surely have known at least one thing.

“You would’ve known Iroha would try to gain control over everyone, at least.”

Yuri lowers head and closes her mouth.

“The Yuri I know would use what she needs to survive.

“Use Iroha.”

That would be her only option to keep herself alive.

Yuri could never become the king like Iroha could. With her personality, it would be impossible for her to take charge and unify everyone under a single purpose.

However, she would be able to control whoever did become the king.

That’s why Yuri tried to set Iroha up in that role. That would position her to indirectly steer the course of future events and thus guarantee her own safety.

Yuri remains silent, her head lowered.

She stays motionless for a moment. But her panicked breathing has become calm.

“……”

Yuri slowly moves her arm and quietly begins writing in the notebook.

“I’ll accept that your beliefs are correct.”

She continues at an even pace, her handwriting rounded and girlish, yet also neat and clear.

“I’ll accept that you have actually been through this game three times, and that you know me very well.”

She quietly tears off the page and continues on a fresh one.

“So what?”

She raises her head.

“—Urk.”

A chill runs through me.

Her eyes have that same vacant look I saw before.

“Would you be satisfied if I cried and apologized and promised to do whatever you wanted? If that’s what it takes, I’m more than willing to do anything I have to.”

And then tears actually begin to well up. Her face contorted in pain, she writes:

“It’s really very easy for me to do.”

“—”

Agh, this is awful. I’ve already failed.

“Listen, that’s not what I—”

Yuri isn’t paying attention to my writing anymore, though. She goes quiet, puts a meaningless smile on her face, and lies down on the bed.

“Ugh…”

I had hoped to make Yuri submit—well, maybe make her understand our predicament and win her over without having to do all that. I would then have used her to gain a foothold in overcoming Iroha.

But my approach was clearly mistaken.

She obviously didn’t believe me when I told her the truth straight-out. Maybe I shouldn’t have used this approach, though. Why did I ever choose to go after someone as fearful as she is with what almost amounts to an attack?

“You hate their guts don’t you All those bastards who tricked you and butchered you C’mon they were prepared to off you for their own survival Heh-heh-heh.”

Noitan’s words run through my mind.

Could he have been right all along? Did I choose to attack her because I subconsciously want to see them as opponents to defeat rather than people to save?

If so…then maybe I’ve unknowingly fallen into the trap of this awful Game of Indolence myself.