Murder Machine and the Catastrophic Athletic Festival Read online

  In the end, the live performance put on by Renko and her groupmates in Fuckin’ Park went on almost until the end of breakfast—and for the duration, there was no break in the cheering.

  “Okay, everyone! I proposed the idea of our alliance to the teachers.”

  It was after school on the same day. Renko, who was visiting the first-year Class A classroom, had come to deliver a progress report.

  “Really? That was fast… Well, how did it go?”

  “Miss Kurumiya was sour on the idea, but when I brought up Busujima’s doping—his strengthening agents and steroids, stimulants and painkillers—and used that as leverage to negotiate, she seemed more open to the idea!”

  “Doping… If this was an ordinary athletic festival, that would disqualify you, but I guess anything goes here. And that includes murder. We’ve got to worry about being crippled or killed.”

  Even though murder was grounds for having points deducted, it wouldn’t get you kicked out right away—it was certainly a worrisome situation. And since, apparently, there were casualties every year, it was obvious that nothing would be off-limits.

  “Oh dear… I wonder if we’re really going to be allowed to fight together…”

  “Sure. It should be okay, right?” Renko reassured Maina, who seemed as though she couldn’t help but be anxious. “It looks like the rankings for the athletic festival are directly tied to the teachers’ evaluations. Both Miss Kurumiya and Mr. Busujima ought to cooperate if it’s for the sake of their classes. Unlike the Summer Death Camp, the teachers are in the same boat as us for the athletic festival.”

  “…I see.”

  Thinking about it that way, it was somewhat reassuring. To have those who had, until now, instilled such extreme fear into them suddenly turn to allies was inspiring. If they would really turn, that is…

  “Oy, Renko! And Kyousuke Kamiya, too.”

  Speak of the devil. Kurumiya appeared in the classroom, calling for Kyousuke and Renko.

  “Come here. I’ve got business with you two.”

  “Huh… Me too?”

  “Kksshh. Of course. You seem to be the leader of first-year Class A, after all. It’s the natural course of things that you would be called in along with me, the person who proposed the alliance.”

  “Leader… Is that so?”

  “Well, isn’t it? You’ve killed the most, and all.”

  “Hey—”

  —I haven’t killed anyone, he very nearly replied. His other classmates, besides Eiri, waved good-bye, saying things like “See you later, leader” and “We’re counting on you, captain.”

  Kyousuke followed after Renko, feeling melancholy as he left the classroom.

  “Miss Kurumiya! Miss Kurumiya!” Renko engaged amiably with Kurumiya, who was walking quickly down the hallway. “Did you think about the union between our classes?”

  “It’s under consideration. I’m waiting on the other party.”

  “Huh? Isn’t that conversation what we’re going to—”

  “No. This is a separate matter.”

  Renko was disappointed by Kurumiya’s response. “Kksshh?! A separate matter?”

  “”

  “……Miss Kurumiya?”

  “You’ll understand soon.”

  Kurumiya stayed quiet after that response, and they exited the old school building. Changing from indoor slippers to outdoor shoes, she led them toward the new school building a short distance away.

  “Stop. This way.”

  Kyousuke and Renko, who had gone in inconspicuously through the entryway, were led to the front of a nearby classroom on the first floor of the new school building. Above the door was a plate with RECEPTION ROOM written on it.

  “Uh, ummm… Is there a visitor here?”

  “Yeah. An acquaintance of yours, Renko.”

  “Wh-wwwwh-what did you saaaaaay?!”

  “An acquaintance of Renko’s?!”

  It was unexpected information. Renko apparently sometimes went outside the academy for “work,” so perhaps it was someone she knew from that…

  “It seems she leaped at the chance to see your face! So let’s get a move on.”

  “Really?!” Renko embraced Kurumiya with joy. “Who could have come to see me?! My murderer friend Kiri? Or maybe the cleaner Ryou? Cannibal Corpse Kuchiha? Oh, could it be Sugar Cult Satou? Or possibly someone I wouldn’t expect, like the Eyes Set to Kill strangling sisters—”

  “Renkoooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

  Just then, the door of the reception room slammed open, and Renko was snatched up by the figure that came flying out of the room.

  “Aaahhhhhh?!”

  A person leaped at Renko from the reception room. Holding her down and squeezing her body tightly, she rolled around on the floor, rubbing her face in Renko’s abundant bosom.

  “It’s been so long—it’s been half a yeeeaaar! I wanted to see you—I wanted to see you so muuuch! I’m sooo sorry I haven’t been able to come see you before now. I’m really, really sorry! I’m in trouble, you see—I’m under contract and I’ve made no progress at aaallllll! Comfort me, Renko! Soothe my splintered heeeaaart, Renkooooooooo!”

  “Eh? Ehhh?! Eeehhhhhh?!” Renko, lying on her back, looked extremely confused. “Ma—” She stared up at the delirious reveler.

  “Mamaaaaaa!” she shouted and embraced the woman back. “It’s you, Mamaaaaaa—it’s been so long! I wanted to see you the whole time, too! Don’t tell me you came just to see me; I’m so happy! I’m too happy, Mamaaaaaa!”

  “…………Huh?” Kyousuke gaped at the frolicking pair. Mama. Mother. Renko’s mother. In other words— “Y-you mean th-that person…gave birth to Renko…?”

  “Indeed,” Kurumiya nodded. “She is Murder Maid’s creator.”

  “……Seriously?”

  Kyousuke stared in blank amazement at the woman. Wearing a brand-name suit and a white lab coat, she had the same beautiful silver hair as Renko, but it was messily cut to shoulder length, and the ends stuck out in every direction.

  “—Phew!” Eventually, the woman let go of Renko and stood up, looking satisfied. “My goodness, I’m so happy! Your body is soft and feels so good… Heh-heh-heh! And you smell sweet and nice, ah… If I could, I would hug you for ten more hours, but I think darling Hijiri would yell at me! I suppose I can show a little restraint…for now.”

  “……?!”

  As the woman turned, Kyousuke caught sight of her face, and his breath caught in his chest. She was so beautiful it was frightening. Her dazzling white skin was like porcelain, and it shone under the fluorescent lights, making her appear almost wet. And then there were her fine, elegant eyebrows; and her eyelashes so long they cast shadows; and her high, dignified nose; and those glossy, peach-colored lips…

  It was all exactly like Renko. As though Renko, just as she was now, had simply gotten older and become an adult.

  “Huh?” The woman’s ice-blue eyes seized on Kyousuke, who was still frozen in place, staring. She narrowed her eyes, a flicker of unrest in them. After glaring at Kyousuke for a short while, she growled. “…I…can’t see.”

  The woman furrowed her brow, then got down on her knees and started feeling around on the floor. “Glasses, glasses—” Apparently her eyesight was poor.

  “Mama, you dropped them!” Renko said, holding out a pair of glasses.

  Taking her glasses from her daughter’s hand, the woman pulled herself together and stood up. “Well, they’re not prescription anyway.”

  They’re fashion glasses?! What was with getting down on the ground just now?!

  Since he couldn’t very well make fun of someone he had just met, Kyousuke wasn’t sure how to react. When he looked to Kurumiya for help, she glared back at him with eyes that said, Don’t ask me.

  As Kyousuke stewed in silence, the woman let out a disappointed sigh. “…Whew, it’s no good—he doesn’t even have any comeback skills. He’s a failure, a failure, I say. A guy like that isn’t worthy of Renko! He s
hould just quietly step aside.”

  “Eeeh?!” Renko was taken aback. “No way!” she shouted. “He’s my lover!”

  “Loveeeeeer?!” The woman grabbed Renko’s shoulders. “What do you mean?! I never heard anything about you moving that fast!”

  —Yeah, me either.

  The woman continued interrogating Renko. “Hey, how far have you gone? How much have you done with Kyousuke?!”

  The woman called him by name even though he had not introduced himself.

  After hesitating a moment, Renko wriggled her body suggestively. “…I-I’m embarrassed.”

  “Embarrassed?!” The woman’s voice cracked into falsetto. “W-wwww-wait! Please, wait! Have you already done things that are embarrassing and hard to confess?! I’ll kill—No, I’m not angry, so tell me. Look, you can say it in a voice only I can hear. Tell me as a secret.”

  “O-okay… I understand, Mama. Well…”

  Bringing her exhaust port close to the woman’s ear, Renko began to whisper. It wasn’t audible to Kyousuke and Kurumiya, but as she listened to Renko’s words the woman’s expression turned from pensive to perplexed, and from perplexed to shocked, and from shocked to serious, and from serious to ashamed, and from ashamed to angry, and from angry to…

  “Okay. I’ll hear what he has to say as well.”

  Blank. The woman’s face had lost all expression as she approached Kyousuke.

  Kurumiya quickly distanced herself, and Renko tilted her head. “…Mama?”

  A chill ran up Kyousuke’s spine.

  This presence… There it is again. Bloodlust.

  The woman advanced until she stood close, staring directly at him. “Kyousuke Kamiya, is it?” she asked in a quiet, emotionless voice.

  “Y-yes…,” Kyousuke answered timidly.

  “Hmmm…” The woman looked him over from head to toe. Kyousuke felt unusually self-conscious. He fought a strong urge to turn tail and run.

  Instead, as the woman’s gaze crawled wordlessly over him, Kyousuke took a long hard look at her in return. The more he looked, the more he thought she really did look just like Renko. The overall impression was different thanks to the glasses, but he could think nothing but that Renko had just grown up. She looked to be in the first half of her twenties and wasn’t wearing much makeup, but despite that, she had a girlish glow.

  Compared to the endlessly cheerful Renko, she had a somewhat more composed air, possessing the charm and style of an adult. More than anything, what drew his eyes were…

  H-huge…!

  Resting on top of their special guest’s gently folded arms were two massive bulges. Her breasts were amazing and also looked as if they belonged to a grown-up Renko. Her shirt strained to contain them, and it seemed as though her buttons would pop off at any second. As he looked them over, Kyousuke’s—

  “Is it this?”

  The next moment, the woman did something unbelievable. Suddenly, with her right hand, she forcefully grabbed Kyousuke’s crotch.

  “……?!”

  Kyousuke was shocked silly, of course, but Renko and Kurumiya were also dumbfounded by this behavior.

  Angrily, the woman grabbed hold of the part in question and squeezed. “So this is what defiled my daughter…”

  “Ah!”

  The woman’s cryptic words were as impossible to decipher as her behavior.

  Defiled Renko? What did? …I did?

  Kyousuke was utterly confused.

  Squeezing his nether region in a vise grip, the woman smiled. “I heard from Renko, Kyousuke! I heard that you’ve been doing this and that and even the other thing with her! Some nerve you have, hmm?”

  “……Huh? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re—”

  “Don’t play duuumb!”

  “Yeowwwww?!”

  There was no use in arguing as the strange woman twisted his plums.

  “You r•pe demon! I’ve got proof that you defiled my daughter! My pure daughter, such…s-such obscene and shameless things she shouldn’t even know the words for! But you educated her!! You gave my daughter some sex education, didn’t you?! That’s for damn sure!”

  “Huh?! No, it’s the other way around. She went after me—”

  “No talking baaack!”

  “Owwwwww!!”

  “Moreover, from what I heard, it sounds like you don’t even think about Renko’s feelings. What the hell is the idea behind dating someone even though you don’t like them?! You’ve got to be joking! So your only goal is her body, after all, you piece of trash! To savor her as you wish, and then cast her aside when you get bored?! My daughter is not chewing gum! If we’re comparing her to something, she’s a marshmallow. She’s a sweet, delicious marshmallooow!”

  “Mama, stop it already! Kyousuke didn’t do anything wrong, I just embellished my story a bit! We’re not even dating yet!” Renko tried to pacify her, but her words did not reach the enraged woman’s ears.

  Meanwhile, Kurumiya calmly puffed on a cigarette.

  “I don’t approve! I don’t approve of you, Kyousuke Kamiyaaa! I’d rather die than give my daughter to a guy like you! Don’t you ever lay a hand on Renko again. Don’t go near her. Don’t talk to her! If you do, I’ll tear this right off—”

  The woman stopped moving. She slackened her right hand just a bit. “…Huh? Is it my imagination? It’s gradually getting…hard—”

  “Gya—?!” Kyousuke shouted as the woman began to move her fingers around quizzically. He grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her. “Uwagh?! Wh-what are you doing?! This is assaaaaaault!”

  He had meant to tear her hand off him, but the woman resisted frantically. That brought about even more excitement and tension and irritation, snatching away any hope of maintaining his composure…

  “Uaaahhhhhh?!”

  The situation devolved into a mad grapple, and the next thing he knew, Kyousuke had fallen down in the corridor along with the woman.

  “Kyousuke?!” “Reiko?!”

  Renko and Kurumiya shouted. And then—

  ““…………””

  —Silence.

  Kyousuke had fallen facedown, and his head was buried in something warm and nice smelling. What’s more, both of his hands had, for some reason, grabbed hold of something strangely soft.

  ““…………””

  A cold sweat broke out on Kyousuke’s back. If he remembered correctly, he had had such an experience only once before.

  When he timidly lifted his face to look, sure enough, his gaze was met by a pair of ice-blue eyes that were open so wide it looked as though they might fall out. Kyousuke’s face had been buried in the woman’s stomach, and his hands held her enormous breasts.

  “Ha, ha-ha-ha…” Laughter was audible. By the time he realized that it was coming from his own stiff mouth, it was too late. Totally befuddled, Kyousuke stared at the blushing woman’s face above him. “…F-fair turnabout?”

  As he spoke, almost unconsciously, he squeezed his fingers a little.

  “Re, Re, Re-Re-Re, Re—” The woman’s mouth flapped open and closed like a fish on land as Kyousuke rubbed her breasts. Tears welled up in the outer corners of her eyes, which wavered with shame and anger.

  “Renjiiiiiiiiiiii! Crush th-this…th-this perveeeeeert!”

  Renko’s mother yelled, and the next instant an enormous figure smashed through the wall of the reception room and, with one humongous arm, grabbed Kyousuke by the collar and slammed him against a corridor window.

  “Gah?!”

  It had all happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for Kyousuke to follow. It was as if he had been hit by a truck. Pressed between the window and the arm, he was being crushed to death. Cracks radiated across the glass behind his back, and his body went limp.

  “Wh-what—?”

  “…………”

  Kyousuke’s field of vision was filled by an ivory-white gas mask. The opaque plastic viewport stared at him apathetically as rough fingers dug into his neck and collar, strangl
ing him—

  “Quit it.”

  Instantly, the arm restraining Kyousuke broke with a snap, and a sharp bone pierced through the skin, accompanied by a spray of blood. The arm dangled limply, and the crushing pressure eased.

  “…………”

  The man wearing the gas mask did not make a single sound. Silently, he stretched his undamaged arm out toward Kyousuke, who had crumpled to the floor of the hallway.

  “—I told you to stop it.”

  Kurumiya grabbed the man’s wrist to stop him.

  His other arm had been broken by a blow from the iron pipe.

  “…………”

  The man was silent. He did not turn to look at Kurumiya.

  Both of their arms were trembling with tremendous effort, proof that neither was about to give in. It appeared that their strength was evenly matched.

  “Hey!” Kurumiya shouted. “Hurry up and stop this huge oaf, Reiko! What are you waiting for?!”

  “……No.”

  “What did you say?”

  “No waaaaaay!” The woman got up, protecting her chest with both arms. “Th-that boy touched my boo…bbbb, boooooobs, he f…ffff-fondled them!! I’m not so softhearted as to smile and forgive a creep like that!”

  “……Huh? Are you stupid? What am I supposed to do with a grown woman who cries like a baby when someone rubs her boobs—What? Once or twice at most? Your inexperience is showing.”

  “Shut up! And don’t say that!! I-I won’t forgive you…letting my secret out on top of letting him grope me. This doesn’t end here! Kill ’immm, Renjiiiiii!”

  “Huh?! Aggravating a virgin is so—Kuh?!” Still gripping the man’s wrist, Kurumiya used her left leg to block the right leg that kicked out toward her. A rare bead of sweat appeared on her forehead.

  The man drew back his leg and dropped into a crouch, readying himself for another assault.

  “Mama!” Renko clung to the woman. “Stop it! Please, stop already! Don’t kill Kyousukeee!” Renko’s voice was strained and sounded like it would give out at any time.

  Staring down at her entreating daughter, rubbing her gas mask against her, the woman looked confused. “…Renko?” A sigh escaped from her peach-colored lips. “—Renji, stop.”