The Unnamed Poet : Volume 0

Chapter 17 : The Midgame Part 5

It was day two of the Debacle races. Everything else went smoothly. Me and the rest of my team didn’t spot Archive at all in our sight. It was like he disappeared. In the end of day two both my team and I had arounf 90-100 points each. The third day nothing happened as Mitsuo had mentioned that only in the span of 4 days that the arena part of the races would start. In the third day the person who has become a ghost for the past two days. Stood in front of me. Archive. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at me. His expressionless face having returned and he simply walked away. Without uttering a single word. I thought to myself on how weird this interaction was. He seemed to have wanted to tell me something but I couldn’t figure what it was. It seemed important as well. My thoughts were interrupted by Shig seating next to me. He turned to me with a depressing look on his face. He decided to speak up after a few seconds had passed.
-Shig- «Kumiko… have you ever lost someone you loved…»
-Me- «Oh that is uh sudden. But I guess. Kiyomi was a good frie-»
-Shig- «NO NOT THAT! Not that… someone you loved. Someone which you loved from the bottom of your heart and knew him since forever… have you ever known that…»
-Me- «I can’t say I do. I don’t know to be honest. I’ve only loved one person my entire life and I’m still unsure on what happened to her»
-Shig- «Who…»
-Me- «I prefer not to say»
-Shig- «I understand. Since you haven’t… I guess you’re not the person to talk to about this…»
-Me- «No it’s fine if you wanna talk. I’m always willing to listen».
-Shig- «I’m sorry I don’t think I can. I just don’t want to talk with you about this because you can’t understand how it is to lose someone you truly love»
-Me- «Oh I see. Well it’s understandable. I just wish everything can get better. For you of course. I do not know whta you’re going through I guess. But I do have a strong sense of empathy. I can know a part of how you feel»
-Shig- «That would normally work yeah. But. It’s this experience that duffers from others. No matter how well you can empathize you cannot understand what this feels like. It’s simply different»
I felt confused at that moment. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. I do understand how he feels perfectly well. Does he mean that I haven’t had that experience? This seemed odd. I always understood everything but I guess feeling it is a little different. I do feel emotions of others often. I’m fully certain I can understand what Shig went through I’m sure. I’m a little offended really. But I should be kind to him. The bugger person.
I tried to speak to him again but he stood up. He turned to me and said he wanted some alone time. I think my thoughts have been a bit egotistical for now. I didn’t tell them but I should feel bad for it. I guess I wasn’t comforting him the way I should have but I think he would’ve left either way. I could not do anything so I stood up and went back to that dorm room that I had earned in order to take some sleep and take my mind of things. When I entered there two people waited for me. Shitsukai and Archive. Shitsukai stepped up front and signaller me to speak with Archive.
-Shitsukai- «Please go ahead. This might be your last conversation with each other. This should be amusing»
He left the room and left me and Archive sit there alone.
-Archive- «You’re smart enough. Right?»
-Me- «Oh I’m not the person to compliment myself you know?»
-Archive- «Hm. A little too modest yourself aren’t you. Them I’ll be the oen speaking for you. You are by far one of the smartest people here. That’s knot an exaggeration. It’s the least you could possibly even be. But I’m certain there is a lot of information you are not aware of. The least important one is that I’m a lot smarter than you. And the other one…»
-Me- «Archive you sure are uh full of yourself and confident. But I am curious. What is the other information?»
-Archive- «I have met and talked with the mastermind. Kawavata. Aoi»
I was in shock. That last part was… unexpected. He has met… Aoi? This is… probably not the best thing for me.. If Archive talked with him… it could be the end of me. Aoi has built this facility and knows every inch of it as I would suspect.
-Archive- «Now now. Relax. Drink some tea. You can’t spend your last pathetic moments scared like some little kid correct?»
I then grabbed my stomach with both hands and my posture bended forward. Archive then as he was staring he grabbed a gun hidden in his jacket and threw it in front of me.
-Archive- «Go ahead. If this is so scary for you then go ahead and kill yourself. You’d be less of a hassle got me to deal with and a faster way of getting Kumiko back. Either way what good is your life anyways. You are not in your body and you have no one to love or to love you. It would be wiser if you just pulled that trigger on yourself scum»
He kept staring as I didn’t make a single noise. Hilding my stomach wiht more strength and leaning a bit more forward. I fell down to me knees and stared at the gun in desperation and looked at Archive.
-Me- «Archyve what… what is this… why are you so suddenly…»
-Archive- «It won’t be that easy huh. I’ll just kill you later on then. Aoi will make sure we will fight first. The arena is like a prison cell inside this prison cells just to notify you. You’ll learn these stuff eventually so I could explain. It’s not so different with it’s surroundings. But the difference is that you’re given a boost to your ability. An object that helps you with it. You have zero. So you’ll just die»
He walked away after saying that leaving me there. I stood up with little strength on myself almost falling down and fell on my bed. I felt scared and betrayed. I knew this had to happen but for him to go that far… I don’t know what to say… I just want it to stop.
I thought of using that gun Archive threw earlier. I slowly got up and was about to do so. I approached the fun, pocked it up and pointed it at my face. Right when I was about so shoot myself I got pinches across the face really powerfully by someone. It was Shig.
-Shig- «What are too doing?! Have you lost your mind you idiot! What the hell is wrong with you to throw your life away like that!»
-Me- «Shig… I… I can’t… I’m sorry… I can’t…»
-Shig- «Kumiko. Life is far too precious for you to throw it away like that. I’m not smart like you or Archive so I can’t know how in the world you view the everything… BUT I NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO KILL MYSELF!» he was obviously furious as he paused for a second again «Why would you even think of killing yourself… are you really as smart as you’re supposed to be?! Then prove it by getting rid of that stupid burden that is holding you back! Suicide out of all things… you fucking idiot» he left the room furious and went on his own room.
I couldn’t understand why he got that mad. That punch knocked some sense into me. And probably one of my teeth. Whilst in my condusion. Ume looked at me. She understood that I was confused so she began speaking.
-Ume- «Kumiko. You’re an absolute idiot. Shig has lost his brother from a similar way. He had hanged himself»
-Me- «What… I… I… I didn’t know…»
-Ume- «Whether you know or not shouldn’t matter in this situation dumbass. You tried to kill yourself and for what. Because some lazy bastard tried to intimidate you? You’re just proving his fucking point by being in this pathetic state. If you’re gonna be a burden for us then go ahead and die. This place isn’t some child’sittle game that you can just give up… this place is far more dangerous than anything that has ever been created. So you either decided to take this seriously or I can’t help you»
Ume then also walked away. And Akiko-San who was thereooked at me with a disappointed look on her face before following behind Ume and Shig. I stayed there. All my problems flying around in my head not letting me rest. Only if they could disappear.
The arena had cameras everywhere. Akiko and Ume congratulated Shig in his victory against some random. They say in the dorm instead of being with the rest of the crowd and looked through the cameras via a laptop they had ordered in the past. They looked in the screen a bit bored since l their fights were over. But because Akiko mentioned it would be wise to observe the rest of the contestants ability as they mught be an opponent of them in the future. They looked as Archive walked inside the room. He looked around and laughed a bit.
-Archive- «Listen up people! The coward Kobashigawa Kumiko! The fraud! Is not even going to come here! Better for me I won’t have to kill her the facility will. But even if she was here she’d be no trouble. As she is nothing but a mere worm»
-???- «There is… 2 pieces of information you should know about»
Archive looked to where that sound came from in surprise and saw an illusion slowly fade away. There I was leaning on a corner with crossed hands smiling at him I slowly began walking towards him
-Me- «1» I lifted one of my fingers «Your ability is worth nothing against means you’re just a pathetic excuse of a ‘genius’ as you call yourself so proudly all the time» I lifted a second finger. «And two. I am. A lot smarter than you» I said smiling and a condescending look on my face was visible.
Our faces inches away form each other. He seemed pretty angry and annoyed at me. He kept his call demeanor. But it was obvious. He has never wanted to kill me more. We just stared into each other’s eyes. None of us. Easy to lose this.
I leaned away from near his face and walked back to where I was supposed to be in order to begin.
-Me- «I’ll let you choose the game. Archive Vinogradov»
-Archive- «In 10 minutes. We are gonna try to kill each other with everything we have. We are allowed to use the weapons in the facility to react and shoot when they detect movement or we can even stop a weapon from activating if we deactivate it from the beginning before it shoots. We are allowed to use absolutely anything. And the game won’t stop until one of us is dead on the ground in a puddle of blood»
I stared into his eyes. I lifted my head up in the air as if I was overconfident about something.
-Me- «My my. Archive. You sure know how to make a woman hey excited don’t you. I cannot wait to stare at your body as you bleed to death»
Archive seemed bothered. Not to what I was saying as much as to how my attitude was.
-Archive- «So what is your response»
-Me- «Oh my my. Is that even a question? With all my heart Archive, I accept»
-Archive- «Do not get too cocky you ugly bastard»
-Me- «How come? I act just like your precious lover aren’t I? Should you be happy?»
That was the last straw for him. He grabbed me by the colar of my shirt as I was still smiling at him. He heard the intercom mention the beginning of our bet so he quit holding me and started walking away. He went deeper in the arena. He obviously had a plan and wasn’t planning to make any mistake. He wanted to succeed no matter what.
Therefore I. Sat down. I took out a can of soda. And whilst I was sitting on the ground enjoying my drink as time passed.
Shig and the rest who were looking at me had an angry look on their face.
-Shig- «What the hell is she doing?! Doesn’t she only have 10 minutes to hide?! Only ten minutes to prepare what is this dumbass doing?!»
-Akiko- «Shig-San. I think she may have gone. Mad»
I stayed sat down and finished my drink throwing it behind my and standing up. I stretched a bit and I looked at a clock that was set up on the right wall so that it would count the 10 minutes backwards. There were only 4 minutes left since I took my time drinking my soda. But I kept stretching until time had reached one minute which was when I left the room as well.
-Me- «Alright. I’m feeling better. Time to hunt»
I used a tablet both em and Archive had to disable or activate traps. Unlike Archive who knew where every single trap was. I had no information on the arena itself. But even then no traps were able to harm me. No traps activated as I was walking in the halls. Every step I made echoed around the area. And every second that passed. The game neared it’s end.
Archive was on that room where he was hiding and manipulating the arena in there when he saw me standing in front of him. He shot me and realized that it was an illusion. After that the illusion of me clapped her hands.
-Illusion- «Congratulations! You have exposed your position! Thank you for shooting me! Have fun!» the illusion then faded.
Archive was surprised and left the room and started running around the halls towards his other hiding place. He used Schrödinger’s cat to make his eyes ignore all illusions from now on and used it once again to expose my position to himself. He then used his ability a third time to disable my tablets ability to deactivate traps any longer including activating traps. His ability works in a complicated manner. Everytime he wishes to do something he has the option of making the outcome ten times better or to what he wanted. But there is the chance of failing and if he does the outcome will be ten times worse. His ability can only work on other objects and himself. His ability also cannot affect individuals directly. Archive is a genius himself and manipulates possibility in a way that no one can directly counter. He has a feeling of when a bad outcome will occur aka when the cat is poisoned and died so he uses a very small possibility that won’t affect him at all so that he will lose only there.
Archive took his gun out and made his way towards me. He went to where I was supposed to be and he couldn’t exactly see me there. He used his ability again to expose my position and found it. I was behind him.
There I shot Archive but because he was aware of where I was be moved to the left a bit more and the bullet didn’t hit his heart but it made a whole in his shoulder. The bullet didn’t go through him and stayed inside there. Archive quickly turned to shoot me but because he was delayed by his wound I ran out of there and he missed me. The he lifted his right arm and placed it inside the bullet hole. Grabbing the bullet and throwing it on the floor. He used Schrödinger’s cat one again but this time to something riskier.
-Archive- «This next bullet. Will not miss it’s target» he then took a shot.
I had stopped running and the a bullet appeared and went through my kneecaps making walking not an option for myself any longer. I was bleeding a lot and I was furious. I heard Archive walk towards me so I used an artificial blessing I had.
He shot the syringe and looked at me as his gun was pointed at me. Then he shot my head through the brain. He turned to walk away but the he was shot 3 times in his right hand, his elbow, palm and shoulder. He saw me get up and the wound on my head never existed. The blessing I had used. Minor regeneration. This ability was one where it healed all wounds in the body slowly. But I concentrated it on my brain specifically and it healed quickly. I didn’t have a lot of blood so I could onyl regenerate once. I took another shot at his head but he used his ability to make the bullet to try and go through my head by changing it’s trajectory. Having understood what he was doing before the bullet changed trajectory I put the gun in front of me and protected myself.
-Archive- «Schrödinger’s cat. Heal me»
Archive then began to heal his wounds closing all at once when he was about to shoot me again he at my head and the illusion had faded.
Archive was mad as hell and started to get really annoyed.
-Archive- «Does this little bitch. Know about my ability’s weakness?!»
He said these words as a bullet. Went through his heart. He was about to heal as other parts of his body were shot. One was at his throat. He fell to the ground bleeding a lot and slowly began to die. And then I was in front of him on the ground as well. My kneecaps still broken.
-Me- «Don’t worry. I know. Your ability can only make 3 requests. All previous ones who were permanent won’t work if you make 3 more requests after that correct? I forced you to use all of these 3 chances so that I could use illusion again. The other secret is that you need your voice to use your ability. So I shot your vocal cords and throat. You have lost you shitty simp!»
Archive looked furious trying to take me with him trying to grab his gun and shoot me but I grabbed the gun of his hand quickly enough.
-Me- «Tch, tch, tch Archive. You can’t do that. Don’t be such a bad boy… be a good boy for me and just die» I said whilst I used some of his blood on myself and healed my kneecaps. I got up and stepped on his head.
-Me- «How does it feel Archive. To die under my feet!»
Then I saw his other hand pressing some buttons on the tablet and a gun behind almost activated. But then the gun failed to activate.
-Me- «Nuh-uh-uh Archive! I deactivated it! Remember who you’re fighting with?! Deactivating that trap was the first thing I did before entering this bet!»
Archive looked defeated. Jr raised his head a bit expecting to see me smiling upon his dying corpse. His face shifted to one in shock as he did see a smile but it was a forced one. He saw me crying my eyes out trying to be tough in this situation. He looked at me and smiled. He wanted to say something. In the situation he was in he couldn’t save himself anymore. So I used his own ability to make an object so that he can speak.
-Archive- «Kumiko… I see how it is… I’m sorry… but it turns out… you were indeed much smarter than I was… let myself be at least useful then… Your mother… she...»
-Me- «Archive… don’t speak you don’t have to do this to yo-»
-Archive- «Your mother was hunted down and killed by Kawabata Aoi…»
The Archive had died. His face seemed at peace. He was happy in his lats moments. I fell on my knees still crying but iwoing my tears off.
-Me- «You lazy idiot…» I smiled at him whilst still crying a bit. The battle between Archive and I was decided. I was the Victor. I walked outside the arena and Shug, Akiko and Ume hugged my immediately.
-Ume- «You idiot why did you risk everything that way I was so scared!»
-Shig- «Kumiko. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said. Please don’t hate me please»
-Akiko- «You dumbass…»
I was surprised but then I decided to speak.
-Me- «Thank you everyone. But you don’t want to be with me anymore trust me» I paused. «Because I’m gonna kill Kawabata Aoi»
They looked at me like I was stupid for a second.
-Shig- «Kumiko I don’t know what will happen in the future. But I promise to you that I’ll kill him with you and everyone here can agree»
I smiled a bit and hugged them back. As we made our way in the dorms we were met with a… calamity you can call it. Hagatsuma Kumiko stranded there looking at us crying. Didn’t I have to die for her to return? Hold on. I think. When Archive shot my brain I did die for a little while. For a few seconds I did die. Was that really enough for Aoi to just order Shitsukai?
-Kumiko H- «Kumiko… if it wasn’t for yourself if be with Archive right now… but I can’t kill you. His face… he was honest… he doesn’t want you to die… I won’t kill you… but I do not like you. I hate you. You shitty bangs» she said before she stood up from where she was sitting and returned tit he dork room and shut the door. We were planning to go there and rets too but we should probably let her rest… Archive Vinogradov had died. But his wish was granted…