My hurried footsteps began to sound through the university hallways. A while ago, in the third class, I met a girl named Paula. From what I gather, she has information about what happened to Sameru. She even knows who got hurt that time! Although I feel my deduction isn't wrong, I can't help but feel that I'm also completely mistaken.
Soon I arrived at the right wing of the building under the stairs. As Paula explained to me, there are four main doors at the uni, all with stairs. The first is the entrance, which has stairs nearby, though this is the least discreet. The left wing is used by couples who go there to kiss, while the right wing is the least used; people normally go there to talk about serious matters alone. The back door has the same problem as the main one because it's there that you can access the courtyard, so there's more foot traffic.
While I was thinking, I heard footsteps, only to see my friend with black hair and brown eyes arrive. "Woo. How's it going, little Himari?" She put her hands on her head, as if she were some weird monster.
"Fine. I'm a bit rushed because they mentioned in the theater club group that the costumes arrived today, so I'd like you to be quick." I leaned against the hard wall near the stairs.
"Alright, but you'll have to send me a picture of you in your costume, okay?" She moved closer to me with a smile on her face.
"Sure."
"Good! Now let's see... To summarize for you, I was the girlfriend of one of the guys who got beaten up. His shoulder was dislocated for a long time, which included his closest friends. From what he told me, he woke up with his shoulder dislocated, so the guy who humiliated them knocked them out first." She looked up at the stairs above us, then looked back at me.
"The most important thing of all is that he wore a mask. According to my ex, that mask was homemade, made of hard plastic, and had red, yellow, and blue patterns all over the face. My ex probably knows more, but he's also threatened, just like his friends. He would only talk if you offered him a deal worth a hospital visit." Paula stepped away from me and started waving goodbye. "That's all I have. I'll be waiting for that picture, okay."
"Sure, you'll have it soon. Thanks and goodbye." I started waving too.
So we have several things to conclude from... Now that I think about it, isn't Uragiri's backpack a bit too big considering he only has his computer inside? A smile crept onto my expression as I realized my opportunity; after all, today, he would have to be separated from it. Right?
After talking with Paula, I went straight to the club, where I could see everyone excited about the news of the costumes... But Uragiri didn't seem too excited. If he normally seemed angry or downcast, now he seemed downright depressed.
I carefully approached and tapped his foot with mine. "What's wrong?"
He turned to look at me with an extremely dejected expression. "I never saw what my character looked like, so now I have to dress formally." His tone revealed how unhappy the situation made him feel.
Formally? He told me he was a villain... now that I think about it, when he was acting, he had a very formal tone. I started to remember all the characters in the play until I remembered the main villain. This was the count's butler, who is believed to be the mastermind, but was actually always being controlled by the butler. The thing is, his important scenes appear in the last tenth part of the play.
He still has foreshadowing appearances, though. That means Uragiri will have to dress well... I'd like to see that. A small, mischievous smile appeared on my face.
"Uragiri, come get your costume, then go try it on!!!" He started going for his costume, and I followed him.
"Remember that your character's hairstyle requires all your hair to be pulled back, revealing your entire forehead, so here's some gel to style it properly." Uragiri received the formal suit and the gel with a look of disgust, but he took them, obviously resigned.
He went back to where he was before, gave his backpack to Sameru. "Here, remember no one can open it, lest they steal from me." After giving him his backpack, he went with everything to the changing area.
When Uragiri disappeared, I went to Sameru. "Hey, I saw the list, and you're very close to Uragiri. If you want, I can watch everything while you're gone to save you from a scolding."
Sameru looked away, thinking a bit about the matter, but then he heard his name, so he hesitated more until he put his hands with the stuff in front of me. "Don't open or move anything. Uragiri is very orderly with his things; he'll notice if you take something. I'll also notice if you steal something from me, okay? Be careful."
"Do you really think I could steal from either of you two? You're my first friends in this place." They're actually not, but that will make it easier to manipulate. I put on a cute face while taking the things from his hands, creating light physical contact, but enough.
He blushed and left to collect his things to leave immediately after. Easy. Now I have to see if he has it. I opened the first zipper, the biggest one, where I could see the laptop, and I immediately saw something white. I took it out, and it was indeed the mask; it had patterns like the ones Paula had mentioned to me.
Although it would be better for me to ignore it, I know Sameru was most likely telling the truth, so I should take the mask and then blackmail Uragiri with it. I carefully held the mask for a few moments, shielding it from others' view with my body, then put it in my own bag.
Soon, the door opened like the other times, but this time it was Uragiri entering. I thought for a moment it would be something like a person hiding a horrible face behind his hair who couldn't stand up straight, but it was the complete opposite. The suit was the typical one for a butler in series and movies, while his face was unexpectedly well-defined. With his hair pulled back, you could clearly see the anger in him. Plus, the fact that he was standing straight added several centimeters.
Another thing to highlight is his physique. He normally wears baggy clothes, but now that you could see everything properly, he didn't seem completely weak, although he was still weaker than average due to the 'Power'.
"Himari!!!" My name echoed in the room from the call of the club president.
I quickly approached her, collected my costume, and hurried off to change, leaving my bag in her care.
...
I can't believe this. Thanks to the person in charge of the costumes getting injured in the last loop, I never got to see mine. But now that I have it, I'm completely forced to dress well... it's not that it's so bad, I just prefer to be the mysterious villain who seems pathetic. Also, I don't usually pay much attention to aspects like my posture or hair because of what I've been through, so I'm not very accustomed to it, let's say.
Looking in the direction where I left Sameru with my backpack, I noticed he wasn't there, so I quickly went to my backpack, opened it, and didn't find the mask. Shit, I've committed about 13 different crimes with this mask on. A while ago, it used to happen that when I set a save point, I would end up in a dangerous situation, and over time, death after death made me angrier, giving me murderous tendencies towards my aggressors. But there are times when I control myself.
I need to look for Sameru. I stood up and left my backpack where I left it; anyway, it's not like they'll find anything more important than the mask. I left the room quickly, and on the way to the changing rooms, I saw him in his costume.
Without waiting, I grabbed him by the shirt, my expression showing tremendous anger. I felt like my veins could explode at any moment from the rage. "Who did you leave my backpack with?!!" I said, almost spitting in his face.
Sameru started trembling under my grip. I let him go and punched him directly in the face. "Tell me who did it, or it will be worse for you, you damn idiot!!"
Sameru covered his face with his hands, then ran his index finger over his nose, noticing a crimson color on his finger; blood was starting to flow. He reacted late to my words. "S-s-sorry. I left it with Himari... I gave it to her because I had to come change."
I raised my fist, but instead of hitting him, I hit the wall, full of fury. "When I leave my backpack with you, you keep it! Besides, we don't know Himari; you only knew about her from magazines, and now, in person, you've known her for 3 days! Is that enough to trust someone from your clearly out-of-touch point of view?"
I stood in front of him, then pointed my index finger at him. "Remember, you have to do everything I tell you. If you make another mistake like this, it will be much worse for you."
Sameru stood in front of me; he had the expression of a scolded child, reflecting, letting his blood flow down his mouth, chin, and neck, even getting into his clothes. A slight tremble was present throughout his body. "This time, I'll fix your mistake. Go clean your nose."
"Yes," he bowed and then left with his head down for the bathroom.
This damn idiot... now I have to go after that girl. I started walking through the long hallways, heading towards the women's changing room, because I knew she was changing; it was obvious since she wasn't in the main room.