Kara no Kyoukai:Chapter03 01

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Inside a blank awareness Asagami Fujino raised her body.

Fujino was inside a room.

There was no indication of any human presence around her.

The room's light wasn't on. No, there was no reason to expect something like a light to exist.

Around her was only the deep darkness.

"Ah ---."

Releasing her breath as if in pain Fujino touches her long black hair. ... The hair that once came from her left shoulder to the edge of her chest was gone. Probably because the man that had been assaulting her until just a moment ago cut it off with a knife. Recalling that memory she glanced at her surroundings.

The location was an underground liqour store.

It was a ruin that had gone out of business half a year ago during a time of depression, and since then had become a hideout for misfits.

... In the corner of the room is a pipe chair that has been violently thrown away. ... In the centre of the room is a pool table. ... Snacks bought at a convenience store lie scattered in various states of consumption, and wrappers are piled sky high.

Such signs of laziness are making a disgusting residue.

Fujino becomes displeased by the sour smell that fills the room.

This is a ruin. No, some back alley slum in a far-off country. It's unimaginable that just beyond the stairs exists a perfectly normal town.

The only thing here that could be described as functioning properly is the scent of the alcohol lamp they had brought.

"Mmm ---."

With careful movements she looks around nervously.

Fujino's conciousness hadn't yet recovered fully, she still can't understand the events that had just occurred.

She picks up a wrist that is rolling around next to her. A watch is wrapped around the wrenched off wrist. The digital face gestures at the date 1998.7.20.

The time is 8 o'clock. After the incident, not one hour has passed.

"Ugh... !"

Fujino cries out at the sudden pain that overwhelms her.

An incredible sensation remains in her abdomen.

Unable to stand the pain that seems to tighten around her stomach she twists her body.

Splash, the hand that touches the floor makes a noise.

Looking around, the floor of this ruined building is covered in water.

"... Ah, it rained today."

Fujino mutters as if she is speaking to someone and stands up.

She glances at her stomach. There's a bloodstain upon her shirt.

The mark of the wound, where Asagami Fujino had been stabbed by the men that lay scattered around her

The man that had stabbed Fujino with a knife is well known around the city. The most conspicuous among the derailed high schoolers, he is known as a leader among the misfits of society.

He who went around only doing what he wanted with a group of like minded comrades he had put together routinely humiliated Fujino as their recreational past-time.

There was no particular reason. It was just that Fujino was a Reien Girl's High student and a beauty.

This slightly barbaric and stupid young man who was prone to doing as he wanted with no thoughts of repentence, and those who were his cheap imitations weren't satisfied with just one act of violence.

These fellows who were of that sort, knew that in their situation they would normally be reported to the police, but once they found out that Fujino hadn't discussed her problem with anyone else and was agonising over it by herself they changed their minds about it all. Thinking that they were the strong ones, they dragged her out to this ruin multiple times.

Tonight was a similar situation, they were too relaxed and the game was starting to get a bit stale.

The reason that man took out a knife was probably to break that habit-like repetition of events.

His self-respect had been hurt by the fact that even while being humiliated Fujino spent each and every day as if nothing was happening. He wanted to make a definiticve statement that the one who controlled Fujino was him, and nothing else. So he prepared a knife for a more violent act than usual.

But the girl only showed a colder face.

He suddenly knocked over the girl whose expression didn't change even when a knife was pressed against her face, and then ---

"... I can't go out like this."

Fujino touched her blood-covered self and closed her eyes. It was because the only blood she had shed was from the wound at her belly, but she was covered from head to boots in their blood.

"Dirtying me like this --- that idiot."

Is it that she can't stand the fact that she was covered in blood more than the humiliation she had suffered until now.

Fujino kicks the body of one of the scattered misfits. Surprised at her own atypical violence, Fujino stops and thinks.

It's raining outside. In an hour's time there won't be many people outside. Even if it's raining it's summer so it won't be very cold. I can wash off the blood on the way to the park, and there I will somehow clean the dried blood ---.

After coming to that conclusion she quickly calms down.

Walking out of the sea of blood she sits down on the pool table. There she counts the number of corpses.

One, two, three, four... four... four... four? No matter how I count, four...!

She was stunned.

--- I'm one short.

"One person, he ran away ---."

She mutters hopelessly.

If that's the case she herself will be arrested by the police. If he goes straight to a station, I will be arrested straight away.

But --- really, will he go to a police station?

How will he explain the incident?

After kidnapping a girl called Asagami Fujino and humiliating her as a group, telling her to keep quiet if she doesn't want them to tell the whole school, would he start to explain from that threat ---?

As if.

That's an impossible thing, and people like this won't have the capacity to hide the truth and make up a story others will believe.

As Fujino gained some sense of security, she lights the lamp on the pools table.

Pwhoom, with that dry sound a fire lights up the darkness.

Sixteen torn-off limbs are clearly visible. If she looked there would be bodies and heads too.

Lit up by the orange flame, the room that looked as if it had been coloured in red by a lunatic was finshed in all senses.

Fujino didn't pay much thought to this horrible scene.

... One person, ran away. Her revenge wasn't yet finished. Happily it wasn't finished.

"Is it, impossible for me not to take revenge?"

Fujino was scared at the thought that she couldn't avoid killing another person. I don't believe I can do it. My body's shaking. But if I don't shut him up my position becomes dangerous. No, even so, to kill a person, I don't want to do such bad things anymore.

Those were her true feelings.

Reflected within that sea of blood, her lips were curled in a small smile.