Part 23: Takeshi - Second Day - Part 11

Track—Drittestock









The computers weren't moving. I peeked into the lockers and under the desks, but no one was there. Well...I figured no one would want to hide in a place that would be cramped and hard to get out of.

I gave up looking any more thoroughly and left the room.







But there was really no place for anyone to hide. I checked along the walls, but there wasn't anyone there. All of the elevators were stopped and there was no sign of anything moving.

(Maybe I should ignore this area...)




"Oh!"

Just then I heard a sound. Someone was running along the corridor. The footsteps were heading toward the Conference Room from the Lemurian Ruins.


"Oh no!"

I rushed back the way I'd come.


"Who is that?"


"Ooops!"

When I shouted, the moving person flinched.



I didn't know if he had given up because I ran after him, but he had stopped in the corridor.


"Oh, no. You caught me... Am I the first one?"


"Yup."


"Dang. That means if you catch everyone, then I'm 'it' next?"


"I reckon so."


"I wonder if someone will show up to help me."


"........."


"Takeshi, if you don't go step on the can, then I'll go kick it."


"You sure know your kick-the-can rules."


"Whack!"

[Music—Stop]

Crash!!


"Umpphh!"

Splash!

Track—Klamauk

Suddenly You came flying from the side and completely cold-cocked me with a jumping chop to the neck.


"Gurgle, gurgle..."

My head went underwater. My mouth filled with salt water.


"NYA,HA,HA,HA"

You was pointing at me in the water and cackling crazily.
You little…


"Cough, cough...pwahh!"

Floundering about in the water, I stood up.


"H-hey, you!!"


"Hee, hee...I won this battle!"


"Hey you. Wait!"


"Wait for you to catch me? No thanks!"


"Hey you! I'll get you back for that! Just you wait!"

I took off in a mad dash after You. You disappeared into the Conference Room. She tried to close the door before I got there, but I made it in first.



You couldn't find the can and was wandering about. I ran by You... I caught sight of the can and slid into it!

I put the can under my foot and declared.


"I found You! I stomped on the can!"

Soon after that the Kid came in.


"I found the Kid! I stomped on the can!"

...I continued my declaration.


"Ha, ha, ha! Did you really think you could outwit me?"


"Takeshi you cheat! You changed the place of the can!"


"Nobody said where we had to put the can, right? Besides, you smacked me so I figure we're even."


"Alright, alright. Whatever. Anyway, so I'm the first person you caught?"


"You got it."


"Well, that plan was sure a failure..."


"...Huh? What plan?"

As they were talking, the sound of splashing footsteps could be heard approaching the door...


"Heeellllloooo"


"I found Sora and Coco and Pipi."

I stepped on the can.


"Oh, did you get beaten here, You?"


"Things didn't quite work out as planned."


"Nakkyu, don't you think you jumped the gun just a little bit?"


"You said we would all charge together."

[Pipi]
"Wooof."


"So that was your plan..."


"Yeah. I thought if we all went for the can at once, you wouldn't be able to stop us."


"That's pretty tricky."


"You really think so?"

You laughed mischievously and with a hint of embarrassment. We gathered in the center of the room.


"Well, finding all of you was easier than I thought... First of all, mob-style kicking of the can is definitely outlawed."


"Huh? Why?"


"You think I can stop you if you all come attack at once?"


"Impossible."


"That's why. It takes all the fun out of it. Timing your rush, just right, for when the person who is 'it' goes searching...all of that would disappear from the game."


"Well, alright..."

You reluctantly agreed to be 'it' the next time. I thought that maybe she was used to hand-to-hand, full-contact battles of kick the can.


"Alright. Everybody good with that?"

Everyone - Sora, Coco, Kid and Pipi - nodded.


"Okay then. You is 'it' next. The can is over there, so you get it. Put it where you want and count..."

Kabing!

[Music—Stop]

Clatter, clatter, clatter...

The sound of a can being kicked rang out in the darkness. The can went rolling powerfully toward the corridor.


"Hey! Who kicked that?"


"It wasn't me!"
Lies. Filthy lies.

As soon as she got this out of her mouth, You started to run away.
Her portrait changes for a split second before she does this.


"You scoundrel...!"

Track—Traum In Der Dunkelheit

Everyone scattered like scared butterflies. The splashing sound of footsteps echoed as they receded down the corridor.


"...Geez. This means I gotta be 'it' again!"

No one responded. I looked around the room. No one was left.

(Huh? I wonder if...Tsugumi kicked the can.)

No matter what she said, Tsugumi was probably playing on the sly.

(She should've said so then...geez... Oh well...)


"Alright. I'm counting to a hundred. O-n-e... T-e-n, e-l-e-v-e-n, o-n-e-h-u-n-d-r-e-d... Here I go."
Well, he sure knows how to count.



I thought about where I should start looking.



By request, I’m not actually going to make this a choice. I’ll go for the less painful of the three and do the third on in the next run-through. We’ll be seeing who’s hiding in the Lemurian Ruins and the Rest Area on Wed.