Part 1.

"I never got to ask your thoughts on this, Sagasuga, so I might as well do so now. Especially because you are in a currently balanced state of mind, am I right?"

Side by side, Sagasuga and I took heavy steps towards the open gate that didn't bother to present much of a challenge thanks to the work of someone else...

Outside and from behind, a vanquishing ray of light chased our shadows for as long as it could, but it eventually ceased to be once we stood inside the darker section of the gate's entrance.

Nonetheless, his smile was bright and diplomatic; clearly visible midst this shrouded profoundly new darker atmosphere that we were about to discover. Furthermore, he even stopped his tracks just out of curiosity towards my own words.

"Go ahead, Kawahara!"

With his clean bow, he simply allowed me to continue. To go as far as bowing down to someone just because someone took attention onto you. His behavior confuses me, however, he has always been diplomatic. So, it's important to acknowledge that diplomacy is a quality of his balanced behavior. Ultimately, before we ventured into the unknown, I stood on the right side of the small metal door and its semi-large metallic bars and directed my undivided attention to Sagasuga; who was behind me just slightly.

"Should we kill someone?"

"Hm..."

He gave someone thought for about 6 to 10 seconds with his pose resembling the classic thinking stance ergo the right hand attached to the chin itself. I expected an immediate rebook but surprisingly, I was rivaled with a completely thoughtful stance instead.

And then, his eyes met mine.

"We both know that's possible. However, why?"

"No real reason, Sagasuga. Just saying. You don't feel any hatred for any of our classmates, right?"

I tried to look towards the artificial light source but it could not even scratch my left or right cheek with his luminosity and so I turned to Sagasuga swiftly; who had an extremely composed expression despite the content of our dialogue.

"That's true. Nonetheless, if what you are proposing is killing for purposes such as fun or some other egotistical purpose, then I really don't think we should."

So that's it.

I then pointed at him with my right index finger which left him clueless and probably confused before I spoke.

"You..."

"Yes...?"

"Are too much of a saint. And that doesn't make much sense."

"Now that's an exaggeration. Weren't you the one pointing out that I have to do bad actions in order to establish a balance if it's too drawn into the other side? How can I be a saint if I have that attribute to my own personality?"

"That wasn't what I was referring to, Sagasuga. I'm saying... I am too much of a saint too."

"I'm starting not to get where you are getting at. Care to be more clear? Haha!"

Do notice that he wasn't angry whatsoever as he simply genuinely expressed confusion by adjoining his back against the steel bars. Though, I will get to my point now.

"We're just criminals on paper, realistically."

"Well, isn't that a good thing?"

"It is, Sagasuga. It's just..."

"Just...?"

I had trouble expressing myself because my upcoming words were genuine unlike basically most of my words the past days.

Thus, with my right fist up high, I vividly expressed my emotions loudly.

"We are fucking clowns, dude! Criminals this, criminals that, but we are just teenagers who have that title to our identities! However!"

With haste, I closed into Sagasuga's face and spoke almost silently.

"Someone has earned that title."

"Oh, I see! I get it now!"

No longer coldly composed; absent from emotion, Sagasuga slammed his right fist onto his left hand's open palm and verbally moved forward with his exultant words.

"True enough, Kawahara, so far, despite being inside a classroom full of criminals, only one person has shown to be an actual criminal. That being, the orchestrator behind Yulia's demise, yes?"

His immediate comprehension pleased me to the point of instantly buying a flashy smirk out of my lips.

"How correct! Everyone is out for him. Why? Because everyone knows for a fact that he committed the crime. I've come to realize something along the way so far that I'm sure you'll agree too, Sagasuga."

"Speak your mind, I'm curious now."

Still, we were just basking under the semi-cold shadow and did not step inside the mine ahead of us.

"It doesn't matter if you are an actual criminal. Because you can just hide that fact as much as you want. Yet, the moment an actual crime happens, you strike imperial fear onto others because they know they could be next."

"I see..."

I continued.

"Blabbering and bragging is basically the accumulation of the behavior of the fools in our class yet only one person in our entire class has managed to do the exact opposite. Aren't you jealous of him, Sagasuga?"

"But Kawahara, I don't have a reason to be jealous."

"Maybe you don't, heartless bastard, but you best believe I do."

"So, why are you jealous of him, Kawahara? You've been visibly upset about this guy for a while and I just can't seem to understand why. If I recall correctly, you were not close to Yulia whatsoever, so I really just don't..."

Sagasuga's train of thought was far too stretched here. Linking the possibility of my anger here being manufactured by that useless irrelevant female creature is way, but way too inaccurate. No, it's something far more complex I dare argue.

"Fool. Haven't you noticed? This little event clearly separated him from the rest. It's almost as if he called us fakes and he is enjoying living up to that title. Man, that's bullshit. That's just so fucking unfair. No way I'm accepting this shit!"

Poor little metallic bars though stelled with resistance were nevertheless the victims of my anger through a rash combination of plumming fists within the duration of six seconds.

On the other hand, Sagasuga looked disappointed and I can understand why.

"Kawahara... You are mad because he is a more genuine criminal than... well... you? Is that the point you are trying to make?"

It pissed me off how he looked like a father scolding his child without getting violent and trying to instead be comprehensive at full levels.

However, I insisted that he understood my motivation here. It's important.

"Not just me, bro. Literally everyone in our class! They just don't have the brains to catch onto what he's doing. But now that I've explained it to you, you, Sagasuga, can understand the point here. Unless we become criminals thoroughly under certified knowledge, we are just the fakes here."

"I see. It bothers you that you are being labeled as the fake here. Though, you are the only one doing that. BUT according to you, it's because the others haven't caught up to his plan, which is to further ridicule the rest by standing out? Did I get it right?"

He went a bit far with the point but he essentially got everything right.

Tired, I lightly tapped my forehead and closed my eyes for a bit, and gave Sagasuga the right to go on.

"I'm not the best person to portray this point to, Kawahara. What you are after is glory. Or is it the certified title?"

"Nah man, it's more simple than that. I just don't want to miss out. I'm tired of just having this title of "criminal". Fuck that shit. I'm saying... We actually clear up our names."

"Even though no one will know that we did those crimes, hypothetically speaking?"

"Sagasuga, it's alright, I'm telling you! Because if we do and he doesn't, then he will be afraid. That's all that matters..."

Grimmly, my right fist clashed with my left first consequently.

It's not about the glory. I got the message all along. The fakes need to be purged out. Titles are only real through actions and unless one knows such actions then it's not a worthy title.

Opposite to this, Sagasuga seemed to differ quite a lot.

"Are you sure this isn't just a one-sided grudge? Hey, maybe he had something against Yulia? Think about it, anyone could've done this. Of course, I've already admitted that the circumstance was well-thought-out, but regardless, seriously... Anyone from our class could have that title. It takes guts, confidence, and composure to be able to stand out and remain hidden. However, isn't all that way too tiring and pretty much unnecessary? I don't like the attention that much. Well, do you?"

"It's not about the attention. It really is not..."

Impatient with my speech, my footsteps baptized the path of the dark path ahead of me and Sagasuga was soon to follow after delivering his final reply.

"As long as I'm balanced, I won't kill. Because killing is an action that has to be taken according to a force opposing the balance itself. I'm sorry, Kawahara."

"You're no fun, Sagasuga. You are telling me that it's alright for you to be a fake, huh?"

The linear dark path accompanied with nothing but darkness ahead stretched onto seeming infinity; however, we soon knew that it would unravel far more than just that. Length meant nothing because soon enough, orange lights blessed our vision. In addition to this, Sagasuga ignored my previous question and simply remained silent.

His silence was perfectly justified as I would've continued with our conversation if it wasn't for the fact that our environment had different elements from our previous one. The moment we witnessed something different from the geoglyphs we encountered before, we melancholically observed with detail where we now stand.

Irregularly shaped brown boulders scraping the edge of the walls accompanied with a luminaire shaded abrasive light. Purely developed railways contrasting the previously seen badly constructed rails far too young to be called proper railways could be witnessed in addition.

This scenario truly felt more like a mine. Yet, a mine exists for a singular purpose. Perhaps that's the essence here?

That there is something to hunt for here? However, if so, then did that bastard already take what we should be here for?

Questions began to overflow my mind as I posed midway through the north entrance of this mine basking under powerful nonstop artificial light transmitted from the horribly damaged lamp above my head.

"We head south. That door doesn't look operational to me."

"Correction, Kawahara---- It's not operational."

"Well, how the fuck would I know? You've been dicking it for as long as you've given your eyesight on it."

"That's just because I was curious. I mean, are you not?"

Of course, I was. To be more specific, this north entrance had a contradicting path.

To put it into perspective, we began by walking a linear path and then found artificial lights guiding a path that would go further more ahead with a door waiting for us. Nonetheless, almost mid-way, another steeled door with bars stood; in the opposing direction in a shortcut to the left.

What truly got our attention wasn't the door but the abundant gigantic empty hollow area that lies beyond the door.

We stuck our heads quite far into the bars but we ultimately could only watch so far.

"I can see some old scraps and treasure chests, but they are already open and seem empty. Maybe this mine was already raided?"

"What do you mean by that? Of fucking course it was raided. Mostly thanks to the one who invited us here."

"No, Kawahara, I mean, probably before that?"

"I doubt it. If I had to guess, this island or rather, this section was built entirely based on what they want us to go through."

Still... As I looked further into the rustic arena with emptiness all over it; begging for a single ray of light, I could not help but feel furious about the fact that the door would not move regardless of how much I tried with my physical force.

Offering some sympathy, Sagasuga placed his right hand on my left shoulder and told me to give it up.

"Quit it, it's not gonna open. There's no switch either. Which means..."

"We can't enter it from this way. Aw man, what the hell, it's so obvious!"

"What's obvious, Kawahara?"

It seems Sagasuga's childhood wasn't as blessed as mine when it comes to the RPG department. Though, it was short-lived.

"It's obvious that the area up ahead is the final one."

I strode and thus abandoned the closed door with Sagasuga chasing after me confused.

"Wait, what? How do you know that?"

Puzzled on how to answer, I shrugged and gave a basic reply to someone like him who doesn't have the knowledge of an RPG experienced individual.

"If you know you know."

"No, no, no, don't do me like this, come on, explain! Kawaharaaaaaa!"

Against all my expectations, Sagasuga began to cling to my back with his hands in an extremely creepy manner with a desperate look on his face which I was only able to capture because I cared enough to look back.

"Hey! What happened to that balance of yours?!"

"I'm unbalanced because I don't know something I want to know!"

"Jesus... Look, I'm not in the mood for this. Basically, it's common sense that in video games if you can't access a wide-open area and it stands before you at the beginning, which happens rarely, then it's most likely your end station!"

Sagasuga took a while to process that, but he slammed his right fist onto his left hand's palm as soon as he got it.

"Video games! No wonder I didn't get it! Hahaha! I never actually played one! Can you believe that, Kawahara?"

"No..."

I thought he was just joking but the more I kept on walking onto the linear path down south until we met up with the door at the end, I just couldn't believe what he had said, so I turned back yet again.

"You're kidding me, bro. There is no way you just grew up without playing games. That's essentially impossible for someone in this century!"

"I'm telling you, I never played games of that sort. Or any games at all."

This time around, there was a manipulator switch in the door unlike the last door, so it was safe to say that our way would progress, but I just had to argue my way out of this ridiculous unbelievable claim of Sagasuga's.

"Absolutely impossible. You are lying. Come on, admit it. There's no shame in admitting it, Sagasuga. There is no a kid in Japan that hasn't grown u--"

"I'm not lying. It's the truth."

"What... Dude, give me one legit reason to believe you."

At this point, I was just smirking and mocking him but I just couldn't believe his stupid claim.

"Fine."

He, on the other hand, crossed his arms with brutal haste and delivered me a confident speech on why he supposedly hasn't grown up playing games, not even once.

"I used to abide by old tradition unlike all other kids in Japan. I can't go into depth but my family is a strong believer in obedience towards tradition. Kids that don't have to obey tradition with harsh consistency have the freedom to try whatever modern society is trying. Think of me as someone who could not join up in the circle as early as you could. Satisfied?"

"Sagasuga, you could've just told me you come from a super elitist family that most likely is linked to some sort of secret cult, hahaha!"

Disappointed, he facepalmed and silently went towards the switch which was just about two meters away from him.

Despite his choice, I continued.

This time, with honesty.

"I think I got it when I was seven years old. A kid in my elementary school once brought a PSP with some cool games in it. I had no idea what it was at first, but the more I saw him play the games and the attention he received, the more jealous I became."

But he didn't really care and just pushed the switch anyways. Coldly, Sagasuga walked forward midway through my speech which was still nowhere near done.

Environment-wise, there was a pinhead section to the right; however, it had a short beginning linearly before curving itself grandly to the right which ultimately led yet to another linear path down south. The conclusion being, we were officially moving in the southwest direction which ironically completely contrasts the locked away area's direction.

"But! I could not afford it. It was super expensive and as a kid, how the hell was I going to get it? And even if I did get it, what would be the point? Everyone at the time was only paying attention to the damn brat just because he had a PSP! Outrageous!"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"What's your point, Kawahara...? Fear of missing out is something that has been present for centuries now. Think about it. A guy gets a girlfriend not because he actually loves her but because his friends all have one and he would be the lonely virgin in the midst. If 80% of the class was wearing earrings and you weren't, you would feel like an outcast. It's nothing more than ridiculous standards made up by society and the fear of being labeled as an outcast as a consequence. Or am I wrong here?"

Now those exact words of his brought a long large smile to my face.

Even if he still didn't bother to cast a single glance at me and is fearlessly walking forward; guided by the continuous chains of lamps implanted with artificial lights to their might.

"No fucking way you are, Sagasuga. Get this though. I didn't get his PSP. I thought for a second back then and thought of a way to make him useless. A way to make him the center of attention but not in a positive light. You know how someone says they hate attention, but if they get the right type of attention, they are in heaven? The little brat got a taste of that."

"What the hell did you do to the poor kid, Kawahara... Heck, wasn't he seven like you?"

"No, Sagasuga, he was nine."

"I see. Still, what did you do?"

A shaft was up ahead with a staircase on the upper right of the tunnel which had a dead-end; thus telling us to mandatorily climb the stairs. There are railways here everywhere but absolutely nothing to make use of them.

No mini-carts, nothing. This was very odd because this is a dead-end and all this time there was a railway from the entrance to where we are now.

What happened to the cart? There should be one here yet it's not...

"Hey."

Out of nowhere, interrupting my thinking section, came Sagasuga with his face completely close to mine. The exact type of scenario where if a girl were to be on sight, she would think that this is the ultimate wet dream.

However, Sagasuga's grim eyes told me that he was ultimately absurdly curious about what I had to say.

"Back off, I was just thinking."

"Oh right. My bad. Shall we take a break?"

"Let's seat on the stairways. I think we have walked around 2 kilometers thus far, Kawahara."

"That's pretty little."

"That's what she said."

"Fuck you, Sagasuga! You didn't play video games but you've watched The Office? Your nose's gonna fall off, bastard."

"Hahaha, dude, you wouldn't believe but Tateyana insisted that we watched all of her favorite series and in less than a week we binge-watched The Office, American Horror Story, Narcos, and Brooklyn 99. That's how I know about the joke!"

Midst our laughs, we sat on the cold stairs that had 6 steps. Naturally, I sat on the fifth step, but Sagasuga sat on the third with his back against the rocky wall.

Before I continued with my previous dialogue that Sagasuga was curious about I asked him a question that I was curious about.

"You and that chick, what happened to your relationship? Did that bitch break your heart or some shit? Don't tell me you want to die before 25 like everyone emo pussy in this world?"

"Hahaha, what the hell?! I had no idea, seriously, what! Ah, but... There was just no reason to, man."

"No reason? Sagasuga, what do you mean?"

"It's simple. I fell in love with her because she was a highly balancing factor when I was striving towards the other side of the balance."

..........

"So wait... You fell in love with her because you had to commit such an action where your balance would only be stable if you fell in love? Wait, how many points does falling in love incorporate exactly?"

Although he was about to answer, he was closing his eyes slowly as he thought deeply into this. Anything that involves balance has his godly undivided attention.

It is impressive. Not even the darkest of eyes can disturb Sagasuga in a place like this.

"I genuinely felt bad for the girl. She was getting more and more attached to me day by day. Even though she was nothing more than a stabilizing tool for my balance. I had to break it up with her, otherwise, I couldn't live up with the guilt."

"Do you miss her?"

"I don't know, Kawahara. Sure, the moments were nice but she's not even hard to look at whenever I'm crossing her. If you had been in my situation, wouldn't it be awkward for you to look at her after what you have done to her?"

"Couldn't you two just stayed friends or am I missing something?"

"No way, man. That's just unbalanced. We both know that past lovers have really unbalanced chemistry due to their romantic past. The tension would shatter the balance."

Am I talking to a robot?

I seriously wonder if Sagasuga hears himself while speaking. The way he utters every word practically like a machine makes me wonder if his heart actually fucking beats.

"Good thing you've broken up with her. She would go batshit crazy if she found out what was really going on."

"Yeah. Enough about her though, continue."

"Right, right."

One by one, I snapped my fingers and contracted my shoulder blades respectively.

Inhaled and went forth a degree; now on the fourth step of the ladder.

Not even the absence of heat disturbed us as it should have.

"I knew what way his home was. Because kids back then would always follow each other until home and so on. However, the brat was pretty generous and would see everyone off as a good person. So I just had to wait until he was all alone and then bam! I ambushed him!"

"That's it? Boring."

"No, no. Guess what I did once I ambushed him."

"Let's see... You were seven years old. What would seven years old Kawahara do... Hm... Didn't you get your ass kicked? He was nine years old, after all."

That made me laugh a bit out loud which made the resonance of the laugh echo throughout the hallway that we had previously ventured.

"No way! I stabbed his own two eyeballs with my compass."

"......"

"Get it? Because you can't play a game that well if you're blind? Hey! Guess what happened the day after the day after the day after? Three days after, basically? Yeah, get this! Even though he brought his PSP to school, no one gave a fuck! Hahaha!!"

"How did you manage to get away with all of that, Kawahara...?"

Of course, an explanation is required.

"Like every kid, I had a mask. Not a ski one though. Mine was a Venom mask. You know, Spider-man's villain."

"Hm."

"So my identity was not an issue. Secondly, I cut his tongue with my scissors, it was all blood-"

"I've listened enough, let's go already..."

Once again disappointed in me, Sagasuga got up and continued to walk forward into the upper stairs; in direction of the door ahead.

"Am I being silently judged by someone who kills animals out of sheer necessity? Amazing!"

"Better than mutilating someone you have no ties with just to prove society's standards wrong. That's messed up."

"Aw, don't look so disgusted, Sagasuga! After all, despite standards, it is a fact that all we need are standards and once those standards are met, anything can be done."

"Are you trying to insist on that talk about killing still? I won't do it. Do it yourself if you want to."

And now we stand on top of the ladder with a door right in front of us. Behind it; an enormous light source stole our attention but we still weren't quite done with our talk yet.

I've made up that whole lie just to portray my point to Sagasuga once more. That didn't actually happen. It's outrageously bland and I would not do something that simple-minded in a million years to come.

"Sagasuga... Don't you get it? I know your standards. They revolve entirely on balance."

"If you think you can make me your slave just because you know my standards, then try your luck. Don't be shocked when your expectations backfire though."

"........"

This isn't going to be easy.

Part 2.

"I am now even more confused..."

"You can say that again..."

Apparently, the door that had a manipulator switch, didn't bring us to the section that we were in hope we would be in. Essentially, the optimistic expectation would be that we would be under the way of the mine that we were previously in, however, such expectations were quickly shattered.

Sagasuga, upon realizing the atmosphere that we are in, immediately started to strip as he no longer saw any plausible reason to keep his uniform on. As for me, it was vastly clear what this atmosphere had to offer as it was not massively different from my original starting point.

"What would you call this, Kawahara?"

"Let's see..."

Slowly, I looked back and saw the now abandoned metallic bar door that connected to the mine. Then, I looked forward to our new scenario and examined what it had to offer. First off, the sky looked singed but clear. It's almost impossible to make sense out of a singed clear sky but if there was a scenario where a clear sky was singed, this would be it. It's as if the orange alike clouds are nothing but illusions made to trick the viewers.

Realistically, this scenario can't be called contrasting; however, it is undoubtedly surely different. This isn't like a normal beach; it looks like a dessert. A soft grasp with my own two palms connected the sharp essence of gritty arid yellow sand which was prematurely wet because this sand isn't heavy-molded.

Such aspects were already obvious to the core, but what really caught our attention was not the wet sand everywhere, but rather the overall dimension of this area.

Once again, I analyzed the scenario even more, by advancing forward a little bit and turning my back to the unknown scenery just so I could see what was above the mine. Yes, there was a structure above the mine, after all. And such structures could be seen just about everywhere above connected by steel gates. Underneath them, we are. So, if there is a structure above the mine, then it's important to know where it's connecting with. Although there are steel gates, they eventually all meet the pillars surrounded by profound water.

"It's a sandsea."

"Yeah, I can see that, but I'm talking about those structures above us. How are we getting there? Because as far as I can see, there are only two to three paths for us. Three, if you include going back to the mine."

"No chance, Sagasuga."

Are those oil rigs? It would make sense if the pillars were actually oil rigs made for the singular purpose of extracting oil from the sea. Nevertheless, it's not as if our path is straying without any sense of direction. As Sagasuga said, there are three paths that we can take. However, I'm taking out the possibility of going back into the mine for now. It all depends on what we find here.

As for the other two paths, we could either go all the way to North or continue to our left. The slight problems are... If we go to our left, we are going to soon meet a more diverse watery wave. Essentially speaking, although we know nothing about this area, it's safe to say that our path to the left will be blocked and unless we plan to swim, which I don't, it makes no sense to go there. The other problem is that if we go North... We are straying from the hidden area inside the mine... Then again, both paths would stray from that...

"Listen, the important factor is that we get on top of those gates and as far as I'm concerned, being near one of those pillars should give you the necessary means to enter."

"How do you know that...?"

It's no wonder that he questioned how I knew that. After all, I supposedly have no way of knowing it, but just simply examining the structures from the rigs beneath the pillars, it became crystal clear that it's a climbing tower and as far as I'm concerned, swimming to the pillars in the water is unnecessary.

"Hawkeye vision. We head north."

"Alright, but Kawahara..."

"Hm?"

Just as I was about to make my way up to the wide north, Sagasuga gave me a reality check with his right hand massaging his stomach.

"Aren't you hungry? It's been a while."

"Hm... But... I..."

Yeah. No matter how far I stretched out my vision and tried to search for a single tree with fruits in it, there was no such luxury. In the end, it's an empty sandsea with a path towards the north. Sure, there are bushes near the elevated edges, but they are overshadowed by the towering stellar silver pillars. Ergo, the solution is obvious here.

"Sagasuga, we need to move out quickly. We won't find anything here."

"Are you sure you don't even want to check out the sea? It might have fish?"

"I rather not. Time is the essence. If we spend too much time hunting fishes and go unsuccessful it will turn out to be a lackluster effort."

"We are going to starve at this rate, you know?"

"..."

I looked at the yellowish sand and saw my reflection in it. Admittedly, I tried to see my face but it was all blurred out from the mixture of colors. Nonetheless, Sagasuga has a point. At this rate, we will starve. It's not just that. I'm worried about Rayazaki and Kuzan. We couldn't meet up with them because of the torrential rain, but so far, it's not raining. I imagine it's because this atmosphere is not connected with the real one outside. This is purely artificial.

"How long can you hold out, Sagasuga?"

"Two to three hours."

"Alright. We'll see what we do in the meantime. For now, let's move."

"Got it."

Thus, we advanced onto the sluggish sandsea headed towards the north direction.

The real question here would be... If the one who invited us here is really ahead of us... Well, is he? As far as telling goes, he perhaps had control of the previously locked door. There's just so much that we don't know still.

Eventually, after making our way completely towards the north side, we encountered a valley entrance.

"Now what?"

Though I blurred that out, it was without a doubt just an expression of confusion. The more we advanced, the more paths were open, to the point where I started to wonder what was really the end goal here.

Right now, we are standing in front of the extremely tight linear entrance of a valley. The great news is that a pillar is visible, but there is something completely alerting us. Just as we crossed the valley, we soon enough realized the immediate danger.

"Hey... Are you sure you wanna do this? We can still go back all the way and meet up with the rest. Think about it, Kawahara."

"Why don't you think about it instead, Sagasuga? If we go back, then we have lost so much time... Plus, isn't this place just begging to be discovered? Look at it. Your lack of passion is unacceptable towards the unknown, Sagasuga!"

"I appreciate your flamboyant attitude, but really, we might die."

"..."

Yet again, our scenario changed. The sand began to form a more rigid texture the more we advanced from the sea and so, we are no longer in the sandsea. Instead, we are in a valley covered with rocks above us. Two sides each; threatening us to fall over the ones who were fools enough to stand in-between them for too long. Even so, it wasn't the valley. The valley was not the content of our current discussion.

It's an unstable wooden bridge with loose degrees all over it. It usually wouldn't be a problem, but the fact that below it is a huge hollow landscape with far more than 30 meters accompanied in-between the bridge's altitude and the destined ground...

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810323018014261321/839189485576388668/Death_Tower..png]

"There is no other way around it."

"Do you have some sort of plan, Kawahara? I hope you're not suggesting that we cross that bridge in one go?"

"That's already beyond the point here."

"Then what do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of a little gamble. Are you found of gambles?"

Though singed, the difference of the usual bright light that was firstly basking onto our existences no longer poses. Covered in a dark illuminated shadow we now stand; the bridge in front of us, the filtering distance from our positions, and the beginning of the bridge being quite small.

Where all the light source is concentrated, on the other hand, is the titled bridge that cannot even be called linear, though it was originally that way. Why is it ravaged to the point where there are dislocated brackets? The bridge is supported not just by the brackets and their degrees, but by a dual rope. A soft wooden one at it, which I am currently grasping just by extending my right hand to it. Midst such action, I additionally wavered the rope to see if it's at least stable.

It was stable, for now at least.

"I don't like to gamble, Kawahara. Because gamble itself is perpetually unbalanced."

"Right. That makes sense."

Anything that isn't unbalanced might as well not even be worthy of mentioning when it comes to Sagasuga. Still, I'm going to make this work. Such was my resolution after I kneeled down and felt the texture of the ravaged bracket of wood supporting the bridge's path. It was hard and rigid, but nonetheless damaged, which made me believe that if I were to walk slowly to the other side then... Surely, I would fall.

Yes.

On the other side of the bridge lies a pillar with an entrance. That intricate monstrous cylindrical tower threatened the intoxicatingly burnt sky above with its differentiating colors of abysmal black intertwined alongside its friend graduated contrasting light gray. Furthermore, no exact knowledge about the inside structure... It's a complete mystery.

"You're serious about this, Kawahara? Don't be unreasonable..."

"Wait. I haven't explained the path of action. After all, we are going to cross that."

"No way we are. Have you felt those brackets? The moment we step on them, they will crumble and we will fall into the pit. This is ridiculous, let's turn back."

Now...

I don't know if for sure this is a coincidence or not, but... Isn't it way too odd that I've come across a path that has a locked passage and now a bridge of death? The thought of this being meant to be a constant struggling is false.

There's a reason for everything.

"Hey."

"...?"

I said those three letters while I got up from the rocky ground and then met up with Sagasuga's eyes and told him my plan of action here.

A strong gust of wind blasted our hairs away subsequently which did not stop the verbal momentum.

"I'm going to the other side if you aren't. I guess this is goodbye, Sagasuga. Well, we'll see each other again, surely. It might just take a while though..."

".........."

Undiplomatic. Skeptical. Grim. Untrustworthy. You name it; the looks in Sagasuga's eyes told me everything that I needed to know. If my existence is an existence that is worthy of being observed, then the path of action that Sagasuga must take is clear.

However, I can't give him any time to think here. Because if I do, then he will raise suspicion. So, it's time to do what I do best.

Pretend.

"I'm the superior runner, remember?!"

With my bag on my back, I tightened it. In addition to that, I took a sprinter's stance as my eyes marked the end of the bridge as my ultimate destination.

Crossing this bridge slowly is suicide, however, if done fast, then it's possible to cross it. The consequence is... My running will be so fast and devastating that the brackets will be completely lost and there will be no bridge left.

Isn't my stupidity at the moment something to admire though? If it's truly a dead end, then the bridge's destruction was in vain and Sagasuga was correct. If Sagasuga is correct then he will not accompany me.

And so, before taking off, I said something to him.

"Crossing this bridge is surely an unbalanced decision, would you not agree... Sagasuga?!"

"Wait!! Kawahara!!"

Unshaken I took off without looking back.

My hunch was right, but the thing is... It wasn't just a hunch.

It turned out to be true as the destructive sound of the brackets was accompanied by a secondary party running exactly at my sight adding havoc to the bridge that we had no way of crossing back ever again.

Ultimately, upon our arrival, we witnessed the destruction of the fragile bridge.

If I had walked through that bridge I would be a dead man right now, yet I am not.

And Sagasuga isn't on the other side either. Yes, he took the one decision that did not make any sense.

A completely unbalanced decision.

"Aw, I'm touched."

Just barely grasping oxygen, I said such words affectionately and sarcastically to Sagasuga who was catching up with his breath.

"Ah... Absurd...! We are screwed if this is a dead-end, you do realize that, don't you?! Goodness, I've never witnessed such an unbalanced decision before! We are in the middle of nowhere! Kawahara!"

"But you're wrong. Look above you."

"What is--- Ah..."

That's right, this pillar's upper destination is connecting to another pillar to the mine we were in. However, it's not directly connected to it. It's simply above the mine. Another tower. Nonetheless, to get there, we first need to climb this tower and then get onto the far more stable structured bridge linking this pillar to the one above the mine.

If my guess is correct, the pillar on top of the mine is a tower that will get us back into the mine, if we descend it. Unlike this pillar, the entrance to the other pillar above the mine seems to be down below it.

In other words, it could be interpreted that the entrance to it is above, while the entrance to this tower is below.

The perspective is the only thing that changes.

"You could've just told me that..."

"Haha, sorry, sorry! I forgot!"

That damn Sagasuga, it's fucking obvious he's after me. All this time, his aim was to keep a stern watch on every single one of my movements. It was his plan all along to get us separated from the others... He also tried to manipulate me about the password earlier but I caught up at the exact crucial time. And now... He would have no reason to follow me, but apparently, he has to keep a watch on me. He's also the one who came up with the theory of the spy, but I am starting to literally not believe a single thing he says.

"What's wrong, man? You look exhausted! It's almost as if you got no sleep at all!"

"God damn it, Sagasuga, your jokes are so lame, I swear. Let's go! No time to lose!"

"True. Shall we put our uniforms back on?"

"Go for it."

"Cold."

I didn't bother to put my uniform back on despite the fact that we were greeted with a glacial alike atmosphere. And just before I entered the tower through the old familiar steel door covered up with bars, I took a guess on what the height of this tower or rather---potential oil rig's height---- might be.

It looked close to twenty or almost twenty meters tall. The grand mystery was what lied inside and how we would get to the top.

"Ah, look, I got something to say, Kawahara. Before we enter, that is..."

"...What...?"

Grimily, I held my gaze towards Sagasuga with my right arm intertwined in the bars of cold steel. A fluctuating wind; unstoppable on its ariel might continued to reign its presence on the outside.

"If one of us were to die inside this tower now..."

"......."

Swiftly, I turned my whole back and silently manipulated the door's switch until it opened without Sagasuga noticing. Just in case he...

"You do remember our talk earlier, right? I think I understand your point more now. It does feel like I'm a fake because... The truth is, it's unbalanced to have a title to yourself while administering actions that go against that title. It's hypocrisy, so to speak."

"You came to that realization just now?"

Suddenly, the more he closed his distance, the more my instincts screamed. Louder and louder, telling me to do the correct thing; that this has all been a setup, that I created my own demise by admittedly destroying the bridge.

The only scenario where Sagasuga profits are by making my existence fade into oblivion right here and now! If he kills me and drags my body onto the pit below, then no one will ever know that I existed! No, wait! There's more to that! He would've profited anyways if I went back because that would mean that I would lose my momentum and overall advance! If delaying my advance is his goal, then I need to break free as soon as possible.

And that's why I'll...

"I did!"

One more step taken. Just about five to four more steps before our distance is closed.

Manipulating a switch has never been this hard, but I'm attempting my very best at not letting my emotions run wild. If I can just manipulate this switch in a manner where I'm not making it obvious...!

Damn it, I need to verbally distract him for now!

"Hey, listen, Sagasuga! Maybe I was wrong!"

"About what?"

Four steps.

"That thing about killing! Uh... It didn't make a whole lot of sense, just saying."

"No, I disagree. Back when I was running to this tower and saw the whole bridge fall apart as I kept on running, your words flashed my mind. Your point was valid. How can we be in a classroom full of supposed criminals where only one person gets to be labeled as the true criminal? It's just unfair and mildly... unbalanced..."

By manipulating the switch successfully, I made a surprisingly loud noise which immediately told Sagasuga what was going on.

"...Kawahara... Could you turn around for a second...?"

"...What if I can't?"

"...That would be a problem. After all, we are going inside that tower, together, right?"

Three steps.

"...We are?"

"Yes, Kawahara. We are. Also... I just heard something... loud... Coming from the inside of the tower. And I think you are the one responsible for that..."

Two steps, two steps, two steps...!

"About that... Heh, you're smart, aren't cha Sagasuga? But, did you predict this?!"

In a rhapsody of movements, I opened the door and in that time he was about to close in our distance, I locked myself inside the tower by additionally closing the steeled door.

"Kawahara, are you out of your mind?! Let go of the door at this instant!"

With the strength of unknown origin that I had not witnessed before, Sagasuga was trying his utmost best to break the door open, but it just wouldn't work.

Simply put, I also had broken the manipulator by savagely pulling it out; thus making it unfunctional.

However, it's just a matter of time, because...

"You fiend! You would desert me here and leave me to die in an isolated place like this when you were the one who had the monstrosity of an idea to destroy that bridge which was the only connection to the other side just for your own egoism?!"

"Damn it, what the hell, you placed your own foot on the door's entrance?! I will fucking crack it if you don't let go, Sagasuga!"

"Kuh....!! Break my foot if you want, I will still get inside!"

Damn it! Just at the moment I managed to close in the door, Sagasuga placed his foot in-between the entrance so the door wouldn't immediately lock itself! It wasn't a question of timing, he was just absurdly fast!

I started to kick his right foot in response to drag it out of the entrance as fast as I could with all my might.

"Heh, Kawahara...! Why, why?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why?! How about you, huh? What made you change your mind about not coming to this side?!"

"......"

And then, suddenly, surprisingly, Sagasuga stopped fighting and resisting and even took away his foot which enabled the door to close as fast as it could.

Sagasuga then kneeled down to my surprise and started to comfort his right foot.

"That hurt."

"...What...? You're just going to die now, Sagasuga. There's nowhere for you to go."

"It appears so, doesn't it? But... It's not as if I don't have exactly a place to go. After all, we share the same destination, right?"

"Dumbass! I'm already inside and you are out!"

Soon enough, my glory was interrupted by Sagasuga who took out the one item he himself had to his arsenal.

Acknowledging that, I immediately started to back away. I still had not looked inside the tower; as my attention was completely focused on Sagasuga's movements.

"Now, I'm not sure, but if I had to make a claim... This ax's metal and this door's metal... Don't they look very similar?"

"Just so we are clear... You want to kill me, right? That's why you went along with my stupid idea, correct?"

"Damn, you're bright, man! I'm sure you've noticed about the password, too? Fuck, you're good at this! All the more reason as to why you have to die. You're a hindrance to the plan."

...Plan...?

That aside, he started to hammer down the door with the ax and it was making a brutal success as the metal combined with Sagasuga's strength was demolishing the front door's bars. Staying here was no longer an option, therefore... the only option left was to...

Run to the top.

"Be grateful, Kawahara! This is one hell of a tomb! A rare graveyard unhabituated by no one else but your body soon!"