Treasure Hunt
"Hey, isn’t this…"
A slight smile appeared on Keisuke's face.
"Does Shōta coming back to life?"
Minami said on Keisuke's behalf.
"There is a chance."
"But to do that, we have to find the guard's head before the clones do."
I, like Kazuhiro, tried to keep my cool, but I can't deny that I felt relieved when I knew that Shōta might come back to life.
While everyone was rejoicing, Risa looked at Shōta's clone, which remained stationary, and said,
"By the way, doesn't the clone look more and more like ourselves compared to the first experiment?"
I was confused by this sudden and unconnected remark, but Kazuhiro quickly adapted to the situation.
"True. At first it was just the face that was similar, but now the body is matching the person. The clones that were uniform are evolving individually."
"What the previous experiment just proved is not just about physical ability. It's developing imagination and our ability to think."
Kazuhiro raised his eyebrows and nodded to Risa.
"I see. Risa's clone's behavior earlier... it is certain that it is capable of thinking as well as you do. When it comes to this, we humans better use the unity we have as a weapon."
"You are right. Then, shall we split into two for efficiency?"
Kazuhiro thought about my suggestion for a moment and then shook his head.
"No, instead let the five of us act separately here. This time it's not a game of killing each other. It's about which one will survive. Then we'll have a better chance of survival if we're all scattered and looking everywhere…"
There was some hesitation in Kazuhiro's words.
"But…"
Risa looked at each Kazuhiro to argue, but she stopped as soon as she saw a solid resolution to his face.
"Listen, the five of us are going to be separated from now on, but I hope that you will put your priority on protecting yourselves rather than helping others. Understood? This time we will compete with the clones, but we will not kill each other. Also, there is no need for humans to fight each other anywhere."
Me and Risa nodded, but Minami and Keisuke probably didn't understand what Kazuhiro truly meant.
"Alright, then. Let’s decide where to look for."
"I would look the second floor in the school building. There are a lot of classrooms there, and I'm sure there are many places to hide the head."
"Then, I’ll help you. The second floor is large."
Risa firmly refused Minami's offer of help.
"What are you talking about? What's the point in looking for the same place?"
"Well, I'll look for the first floor. Minami, you look for the third floor. My pride won't allow me to show that bloody scene to a girl again."
"Oh, thank you for your consideration."
Minami's voice was trembling as she recalled the murder scene on the first floor.
"I didn't know you had any pride as a man."
"I wonder who took you who was standing there stunned earlier and let you escape to the woods?"
I proudly told Risa, who was a bossy person. Risa couldn't argue with me, so she turned away and let it pass.
"Well, Keisuke and I will continue to go to the schoolyard. There are many places to look for, like the storage room or the gymnasium."
"I understood."
"Well then. Let’s go. Hopefully we can meet alive again."
Kazuhiro then ran toward the gymnasium.
"Oops, I have to go too and bring Shōta back to life."
Keisuke also watched Kazuhiro's back and then headed toward the main entrance in the opposite direction from the gymnasium.
"Okay, let’s go. The school building is small, but there are many hidden places, so be careful not to miss anything."
"I don't need you to tell me that."
"But if you open the drawer and there's a head…"
"Umm…"
I couldn't help but shudder as I imagined the scene when Minami told me.
"Be careful of the smart clones, especially mine and Kazuhiro's clones. They might interfere with us."
"Okay."
"Are you bragging?"
Risa glared at me as I tried to make a joke of her.
"You know it's true. By the way, I’m also but Minami, you should procure something that can be used as a weapon. For the future use. Then see you soon."
Risa told us meaningfully and ran up the stairs by the main entrance.
"Okay, Minami. I’ll go too. Please don't take it too hard."
"Yes. Thank you for caring me."
Minami seemed to smile for the first time in a long time.
I quickly smiled back and rushed toward the cafeteria, leaving Minami alone.
