“Dregs… Game?”

“Yup. Are you interested?” Mikabe took a few steps away and laced her fingers together. “But if you want to know more, then you’ll have to listen to me this time. Behind the school, after classes. It’s getting late though, so let’s do it tomorrow. I’ll explain more when you arrive.”

“I didn’t say I was interested though.”

“You didn’t. But you’re interested, right? That’s why you’re still listening. That’s why you’re still alive.”

“...I’m alive because you stopped me.”

“Semantics.” Mikabe smiled again and took Futaba’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go home for today. You can endure it for one more day, right?”

“...” Futaba didn’t resist as Mikabe led her towards the train, where they sat down and rode it back to the station closest to her house. Still hand-in-hand they walked, all the way until they found themselves on the street where Futaba lived.

And a surprising sight awaited them.

“...”

“...Dad?” Futaba was surprised to see her father standing there in the street. His hands were shoved into the pockets of a different hoodie than the usual blood-stained one he wears while at home, but like usual most of his face was still hidden by both the surgical mask and the hood pulled over his blonde hair.

Without a doubt it was her father, but it was unusual to see him outside at this hour. By now, he would normally be in the process of torturing someone until she got home, where he would then do the usual abuse.

The parent and child stared at each other silently. Mikabe watched from the side, glancing between them back and forth, until finally she let go of Futaba’s hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, waving as she started walking. Futaba’s father’s gaze followed her until she passed by him, and for the briefest of moments the two made eye contact. Futaba could feel some meaning behind their looks, but she couldn’t discern anything before the contact was broken and Mikabe continued to walk.

“...”

“...”

That left just the two of them, standing alone on the empty street of their neighborhood. After a few minutes passed Futaba walked forward. “Dad, did I make you worry-”

Her words were cut off as a fist crunched into her nose, throwing her head back until she was looking at the sky. Pain flashed through her face before she even realized what happened, and she quickly gripped her nose with one hand as she looked back down.

Her father stared at her with cold eyes, his fist clenched. It looked like he was about to wind up for another strike, but instead he reached down and roughly grabbed her wrist, then turned to drag her back towards their house.

Futaba didn’t resist. Instead, her expression became bitter as she let herself be pulled along.

...As if. He was just angry that his punching bag didn’t come back when she was supposed to. But maybe for people like us, that’s as close to worrying as it gets.

“...Sorry. I won’t be late anymore,” she told him. His eyes glanced back at her momentarily before looking forward once again, and it seemed that was the only response she’d get.

-----

After another night of abuse from her father, Futaba went through another day of school while silently enduring the harassment and bullying. There were many times where she wondered why it was that she hadn’t made a second attempt to kill herself, but then Mikabe’s words would resurface in her mind.

“What you need is to relieve the stress weighing you down. You’ve let all of your horrible experiences bottle up inside you, and this is the result of that. But if you just find an outlet for those feelings, you’ll find that you can smile no matter how bad things may seem for you.”

Can I really… smile like that too? Futaba wondered while idly stroking her cheek. Even if she pushed on it to bring the corners of her lips up, it would only make her expression look strange. As far as she could remember, she’d never smiled out of genuine happiness before.

And so that was her temporary reason to live; the possibility of being able to understand the emotions that lay dormant within her was enough to keep her going long enough to find out if what Mikabe said was true.

That was what brought her behind the school after classes let out. As she approached the area Mikabe had specified, she heard a strange noise. It was a sort of high-pitched squeaking noise that she couldn’t really identify.

But as it turned out, all she needed to do was walk around the corner to spot the source.

“Ah, you came. Just in time,” Mikabe said from her crouched position. Laid at her feet and chirping weakly was a small white puppy with a black spot over one of its eyes. The noises it made suggested that it was in pain, but Futaba couldn’t see any obvious injuries on it.

“What is that?” she asked.

“This is Albert,” she answered as she passed a few gentle strokes over its exposed belly. “I found him in a cardboard box under a bridge nearby, and I’ve been looking after him. Isn’t he cute?”

“...Is this what you wanted to show me?”

Mikabe nodded, smiling innocently.

A few seconds of silence passed between them. In the next moment, Futaba turned around to leave.

“Wait, wait!” Mikabe quickly stood and grabbed her shoulder to stop her. “Come on, don’t go yet.”

“I’m not interested in animal therapy.”

“This isn’t about that at all. I promise,” she said reassuringly. With a sigh Futaba turned back around and crossed her arms.

“So? What is this about?”

“Right. I mentioned that special game the other day, right? Have you given some thought to whether or not you want to join?” Futaba nodded. “Good. Then first thing’s first. In order to enter Dregs Game, there are three requirements you must meet first.”

“And they are?”

Mikabe raised a finger matter-of-factly. “Requirement one. The participant must consider themselves a dreg of society.”

“A… dreg?”

“A ‘Dreg’ in this case refers to something that is worthless, with no value or purpose. To be a dreg of society is to feel as if you don’t need to exist; that you could disappear and no one would care. Sound familiar?”

“...”

“Relax, relax. I’m just teasing. As for the second requirement, the participant must not be a contributing member of society. That means no jobs, and no important hobbies that benefit society at large.”

“What a strange requirement.”

“Isn’t it? That’s why this game is mostly popular with NEETs and students. But as you can see, this game is specifically made for Dregs to participate in. Only people like us who have suffered a lot even know this kind of game exists.”

“And what about the third requirement?”

“Oh, right. The final requirement. The participant must bear some sort of sin in order to ensure the validity of the first two requirements.”

“A sin?”

“Yes. This rule doesn’t just apply to any old crime either. It needs to be something that marks you as completely inhuman. They really are strict about this one, because it’s what proves whether or not you’re really serious about joining the game.”

“I see. So does that mean you’ve committed a sin like that?”

“Yes, I have. You want to hear about it?” Futaba didn’t give an obvious indication yes or no, but the undivided attention she gave Mikabe seemed to be indication enough. Mikabe nodded, then looked down at her hands with a smile. “In my case, I drowned my baby sister in a bathtub. One moment I was helping her wash while she splashed me with water and messed around like a brat, and the next thing I knew I’d had enough. I reached out with both hands and forced her down under the water.”

“...”

“She struggled of course, but there was really loud music playing so my parents didn’t hear a thing. In the end, it took less than a minute for her to fully drown, and once I was done I just got up and left.”

“...You didn’t get caught?”

“Nope. My parents found her body a little while later, but by that point enough time had passed that I was able to come up with an easy cover story, both for them and for the police. It’s been my little secret ever since.”

“And something like that was enough for you to enter Dregs Game?”

“Right again. Which also means that for you to enter, you’ll have to do the same thing.”

Futaba’s eyes widened slightly. “Kill? I’ve never done that before.”

Mikabe smiled awkwardly in response “I think I’d be more surprised if you told me you had done it before, Futaba-san. But don’t worry. I’ve already brought you an easy target that won’t resist or run away.”

“...” Futaba’s gaze traveled to the dog, Albert, still lying on the ground, inert save for the slight rise and fall of its body and the small whines it emitted every so often. “You want me to kill that?”

“Yup,” Mikabe reached down to scoop up a nearby rock, then held it out to Futaba. “Can you do it? You’ll be accepted for sure if you do.”

“...” Futaba stared in silence at the rock, then at the defenseless puppy. A few seconds passed before she nodded once and took the rock. “I can do it.”

“Did you hesitate just now? That doesn’t seem like you. If you really don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”

“No, I’ll do it.” Futaba moved past Mikabe and stood in front of Albert. Its eyes slowly moved sideways to look at her as it continued letting out small pants.

“I didn’t hesitate because I didn’t want to do it.” She crouched down in front of the puppy, then raised the rock high in the air. “I was just surprised that the requirement was something so simple.”

The last thing Albert would see was Futaba’s cold gaze as she brought the rock down on its head. The first swing didn’t kill it, and instead sent its body into involuntary spasms as its head split open. Staring at the gushing mass indifferently, Futaba raised the now-bloody rock again and smashed it down. There was still movement even with the second strike, so she did it again, and again, and again, as many times as it took for Albert to stop moving.

Finally, the animal went still within the sizable pool of its own blood. Futaba raised the rock, having to yank it a little to separate it from the brain matter that clung to it on the way up. She tossed the thing to the side.

“I did it,” she said, turning to Mikabe. She paused, blinking indifferently at the sight of Mikabe pointing her cellphone at the scene. “...What’s that for?”

“Video evidence,” Mikabe answered. “Don’t worry, the only ones who will see this footage are us and the administrators of Dregs Game. I’ll send it to you over email, so let’s exchange numbers.”

“Hn, okay.” Futaba reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, then held it up to Mikabe’s to exchange their contact information via NFC. After only a moment, the transfer was complete, and Futaba looked down to see Mikabe’s email address appear on the screen.

“...”

“Hm? What is it?”

“...First time.”

“First time for what?”

“First time I’ve done this.”

“Oh you mean exchanging? Yeah, it’s been a while for me too,” Mikabe said with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll email you the url for Dregs Game along with the video I took, so make sure to submit it along with your application. They should get back to you within a couple of days.”

“Nn.” Futaba nodded. After a few moments, she found her gaze returning to the animal she’d bludgeoned to death. “...What about that?”

“Oh, you mean Albert? Don’t worry, I’ll clean up that mess and dispose of the body. You should also get a change of clothes and wash all of that blood off of you. I left an extra uniform in the girls’ locker room near the gym for you. It’s close by, so no one should see you if you go in through the back. My locker is the fourth closest one from the back on the right-hand side, and the combination is 2-5-9. Got all of that?”

Futaba nodded. Mikabe waved her off as she headed for the gym, then went around the side until she found the back door leading directly into the girls’ locker room. The door wasn’t locked - something she also attributed to Mikabe’s doing - so she walked inside with no problems.

“Fourth closest… right-hand side…” she muttered as she searched for the locker in question. Once she found it, she used the combination to undo the lock and open the locker, where a female uniform sat, neatly folded up and waiting for her.

She grabbed the uniform as well as the towel that was also placed there and headed for the shower room. It took only a few minutes to clean off all the blood on her, during which she pondered on the act she’d just committed.

My first kill… Well, it was just a dog, but still. Killing things like insects, lizards, and rodents is one thing, but taking the life of something that big, something that bleeds that much…

It was fun.

Even though she had no particular feelings towards the dog and killed it simply to meet the requirement of committing a sin, she could still feel a strange tenseness; a tugging at a certain part of herself as she continued to think about what she’d done.

It wasn’t strong, but it was easily enough to send shivers of thrill through her body.

The pleasant feeling continued as the water ran down her body and soaked away any lingering blood. But she could tell that the light trembling radiating through her core wasn’t as strong as it could have been. It was enjoyable, but there was still a feeling of dissatisfaction left within her.

Somewhere deep inside of her, she could tell that it wasn’t enough - that what she had done just wasn’t enough.

She wanted more.

-----

Late at night, after the abuse with her father had ended, Futaba laid in bed awake. The soreness from her injuries made her want to fall asleep, but she fought the urge.

Instead, she finally opened her email using her phone and looked at the message Mikabe had sent her.

Inside the message were a few links including the website, [www.dregsgame.com], along with an attachment of the video she’d taken of Futaba beating the dog to death. A small message was added to the bottom of the email.

‘Go to the website and submit an application, then attach this video. It should auto-encrypt your IP, so don’t worry about anything shady happening.

During the application process, they’ll ask for a registration fee. I’ve attached a link to my private account, so take as much as you need. I also opened a private mailbox under a false name for you in advance, and the details about it are in another attachment.

Call or message me if you have any issues.

Mikabe’

She tapped the url link and let it take her to the website, where the words ‘Dregs Game’ appeared in big black letters. A list of links leading to an ‘About’ section, as well as the rules of the game were present on the home page, but the eye-catching ‘Submit an Application’ button at the bottom of the screen was her first priority, so she tapped it.

The application process was actually quite complicated, but it was made easier thanks to Mikabe’s assistance. The registration fee was taxing to say the least, but Mikabe had more than enough to pay for it, and when it came to opening the private mailbox, all Futaba had to do was type out the details Mikabe had sent her.

After filling out a plethora of other information, she finally arrived at the line asking for her to describe her sin. After a moment of consideration, she typed out:

‘I killed a puppy that couldn’t move’

She then attached the video file, and submitted the application. Once a message saying that her application was sent and was currently awaiting approval, she turned off her phone.

I still don’t even know what you do in this game. But Mikabe seemed to be sure that I wouldn’t regret joining. It better not be a waste of time.

With those last thoughts, she shut her eyes and went to sleep.

-----

It took a total of three days for her application to be approved, and Futaba was killing more time around town when she got the message.

She’d actually been exchanging messages with Mikabe when it came, so naturally the first thing she figured was that she should tell her about it.

‘Ah, the application got accepted’

‘That’s great! So it finally came, huh? What does the message say?’

‘It says that a package was delivered to the private mailbox I specified in the application, and that the items in there are necessary in order to participate in the game’

‘Ahh, that should be the uplink’

‘The what’

‘Uplink. Just call me when you get the package’

Futaba shrugged and headed over to the address of the private mailbox to retrieve the package. After confirming the false name of the sender as being that of the Dregs Game admins, she took the package home, going right past her father as he emerged from the basement. He silently watched her retreat into her room.

Once inside, Futaba called Mikabe to tell her she got the package before opening the box. A strange-looking device sat inside, as well as a few credit cards.

“That device is the uplink,” came Mikabe’s reply. “It’s basically just an encrypted PDA used for the purposes of the game. The uplink is the only method of receiving messages from the Dregs Game admins about when the next round is about to start, so don’t lose it.”

“Does it do anything else?”

“Yup. It comes with GPS and tracking functions that mark the location of other uplinks and updates in real time. Pretty advanced stuff. See that button at the bottom? Press it.”

Futaba pressed the large button at the bottom on the lower-half of the device, and instantly the screen of the PDA lit up with a map of the local area. Several yellow dots appeared moments later, some of them moving and some stationary.

“Those yellow dots are other uplinks in the area. You can use this to find out who’s participating in the game.”

“...There are a lot of dots.”

“You’d be surprised at how many players Dregs Game has. It’s not just limited to Japan; I heard they have several overseas branches that host the game in other countries too. But more importantly, are you following so far?”

“Mhm. I think I got the gist of it.”

“Okay, now the uplink comes with a notification system to receive messages when the admins announce-”

All of a sudden the PDA began vibrating in Futaba’s hands. Startled slightly, she nearly dropped it but managed to hold on.

“-Eh.” Mikabe paused for a moment, then cautiously said, “Did your uplink vibrate too just now?”

“Yours too? What does it mean?”

“Exactly what I was just about to explain. Take a look at your uplink. There should be a new notification, right?”

As Futaba looked down at the device, sure enough the bell icon in the top right was now red with a number ‘1’ on it, signifying a new notification. She tapped the icon and a small message box appeared.

‘Game start. Play area is within six blocks of the Gofuji Mall, not including the interior. Game ends at 4:06 PM. Here is your target:

Name: Fujimoto Reiji

Age: 27

Gender: Male’

The message went on to list the man’s height, weight, home address and a myriad of other information that Futaba recognized as being the information required as part of the application process.

“...What’s this?”

“Ah, looks like I got an easy one. What about you? The details of your target should be contained in the notification,” Mikabe said.

“I see it. A guy named Fujimoto.”

“All of the players should be heading towards the Gofuji Mall right about now, so make sure you get there too. There’s only a few hours until the game’s over, so good luck!”

“Ah, wai-” But Mikabe ended the call before Futaba could stop her. As she gazed down at her uplink, watching as the yellow dots began to move towards the play area represented by a large circle that appeared on the map, a single question lingered in her mind.

...What should I do with the target once I find them?

-----

Futaba arrived at the entrance to the Gofuji Mall after a 20-minute walk. She took note that the time was around half past noon, and checked the uplink once again.

It looks like there are lots of players nearby, but just by looking I can’t really tell who’s who among the crowds. She swiveled her head around, failing once again to identify who might be a player.

I didn’t read the rules on the website, so I don’t really know what I should be doing but… I guess I’m supposed to find my target from among the crowd of players and non-players.

…

...But how am I supposed to do that? The play area is six blocks. No matter how you look at it, that’s too huge if I’m trying to find just one person. It doesn’t look like his home address is within the play area either, so that isn’t an option.

In the end, Futaba decided to email Mikabe and ask for help.

‘Hey Mikabe. How should I go about finding my target? And what do I do once I find him?’

The reply came after about a minute of waiting.

‘no time chasing trget talk latr’

She already found her target?

Left with no other choice, Futaba decided to try walking around the area of the mall and look for anyone meeting two criteria:

1. They’re in possession of an uplink, which can be confirmed via her own uplink’s GPS tracking function.
2. They match the description given to her by the admins of Dregs Game.

Like this, she searched for three hours with no success. There were plenty of people that met each criteria individually, but no one that seemed to meet both. Even as she increased her search area to near the edges of the play area, she still could not find her target. And with no word from Mikabe, a strong feeling like she had wasted her time began to well up within her.

I shouldn’t have let her rope me into something like this. Even if I earn 100,000 yen just for participating, I never really cared about the money in the first place - and it certainly isn’t worth walking around for four hours looking for a single person with nothing more than a description to go on.

Maybe I really should just end it-

Futaba blinked in surprise as her uplink suddenly vibrated again. She brought it up to inspect the GPS, and saw that one of the yellow dots was blinking. And upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just any yellow dot, but one that was extremely close to her.

Just as she realized that the dot was right behind her, a figure brushed past. The haste with which he walked combined with the reaction of her uplink seemed to confirm that he was a player in Dregs Game.

But even so; the approximate height, weight, and hair color all seem to match the description at first glance. Can it be that the uplink marks your target once you get within a certain range of them...?

Futaba decided to follow the person at a distance, using her GPS to keep track of his movements. However, after a few minutes he glanced down to check his own uplink, then suddenly flinched.

Ah, did he notice me? Even while maintaining distance, it’ll be hard to relax with another player so close by.

The man seemed to hesitate for a few moments before he resumed walking. Eventually, he turned into an alleyway, disappearing from the streets. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess what his intentions were.

Futaba decided to follow him into the alley.

“D-Don’t move!” Immediately she found herself staring down the blade of a knife. The man looked fidgety and nervous, but had something of a kind face that seemed very much unsuited for the weapon in his hands.

“Mister, are you Fujimoto Reiji?”

“Y-Yes I am. So does that make you my hunter then?”

“Seems like it.”

“Shit… So they even have kids like you playing this kind of game...”

“...”

Wanting to see how he’d react, Futaba tried to take a step forward, but the man quickly slashed the knife through the air, barely missing her.

“I said don’t move!!” he shouted at her. “I-I’ll have you know, I already killed my target! I was planning on waiting out the rest of the round in a quiet place, but I never expected that my hunter would catch up to me. B-But even if it’s a kid like you, I won’t hesitate!”

“...” Futaba blinked. “...Huh?”

“Eh? Wh-What is it?” The man backed away slightly at the sudden change in Futaba’s stoic expression. Genuine surprise seemed to take over, widening her eyes.

“Mister… did you just say that you killed your target?”

“Y-Yeah! What of it?! That’s how the game works, isn’t it? I can get even more money from killing you, my hunter, but I’m more than happy enough with 200,000 yen!” He jabbed the knife towards the entrance of the alley. “So please leave if you know what’s good for you!”

“...”

“Eh… Wh-What’s your problem?! I really will do it! Please, just leave before this becomes something irreversible!”

“...I see. So that’s how it is.” The surprise disappeared from her expression as it returned to its normal stoicism, but it was clear that something in her gaze had changed. “...Hey Mister. Is this perhaps your first time playing this game?”

“Y-Yeah… So wh-what?”

Futaba took another step forward, and found that she wasn’t stopped this time. “Actually, this is my first time playing too. I didn’t even read the rules when I applied, so I had no idea what to do when the game started.”

“I… I see…”

“So Mister, what you just said… Is it true? To locate and kill your target, is that the point of this game?” Futaba continued to walk forward as the man backed away.

“Don’t… Don’t come any closer…”

“...” Futaba’s head lowered, her bangs obscuring her eyes as she continued to walk. Soon, the man’s back touched the wall of the alley. Still, Futaba advanced.

“Stop… Stop it… STOP!” The man winced as Futaba’s neck was pierced by the knife; not deep enough to kill, but enough to draw blood. Immediately, the strength in his hand vanished, but just as he was about to let go, Futaba’s hand came up and gripped his own, holding it in place on the knife’s handle.

“...Hey Mister,” she started. “It’s unfair for something like this to be kept secret, you know?” The man’s eyes widened with horror as Futaba lifted her head, revealing that her eyes had somehow changed color from their normal ice-blue to a deep blood-red.

And that would be the last thing he ever saw, as in one move Futaba ripped the knife out of her own neck and stabbed it deep into his, such that it easily poked through the back of his throat and brushed the wall behind him.

A mixture of blood and spittle shot out of his mouth as he gurgled and choked, staining Futaba’s cheek. She didn’t react to it, and instead held the knife there while he struggled, hyper-focused on watching his reactions.

The man lasted the better part of a minute before he finally lost his strength and slumped over. His neck craned upwards as his body fell down, clinging to the knife until Futaba wrenched it out, allowing him to fall to the alley floor lifelessly.

“...” Futaba continued to watch the man’s corpse as a pool of blood steadily grew at her feet. Her hands, clothes and part of her face had also been stained red, but she didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Rather, a slow smile began to spread across her face, bringing the corners of her lips up. Just as she thought, the tugging feeling was now stronger - much stronger than before. Her heart was thumping in her chest so rapidly that she was sure someone could hear it just by standing near her. The excitement coursing through her veins was enough to bring her into a fit of heated pants.

It was the best feeling she’d ever experienced in her entire life.

I’m smiling… This is the first time I’ve ever felt this way. Is this what people call “happiness”? This overwhelming sense of freedom… This liberation… It’s incredible...

“Hehe… hehehe… I’m… I’m happy… I’m so, so happy…” Futaba whispered, her body trembling as she gripped the knife tightly close to her face, as if praying to it. “So happy… So happy…”

And like that, she continued. Even as the sun began to set; even as the streets began to clear, she continued to repeat those words to herself.

‘Game is over. Thank you all for your participation.

Until next time.

-Dregs Game Admins’

 

Omake

Earlier in the day, in a different place, a Dregs Game player had received their target at the start of the game.

“Huhh… So it’s just some kid named Futaba, huh? Heh, and her house is in the play area too! This’ll be an easy kill.”

The delinquent-like man wasted no time in heading towards the address listed in the information about his target. When he arrived, he didn’t even waste time knocking and simply kicked in the door.

“‘Scuuuuse me~ I’m comin’ in- WHOA?!” The man quickly covered his nose, which was suddenly assaulted by a horrible smell.

“Jesus, did something die in here? Smells like absolute shit.” After a while of bearing with the smell, the man shook his head. “Oh well, fuck it. 100,000 yen is worth more than just dealing with a bad smell for a couple of minutes. Now where’s the bitch hiding…”

The man walked forward into the house until he noticed the stairs leading down into the basement. Seeing as it was right nearby, he decided to take a look before searching the rest of the place.

However, the moment he stepped into the basement, his eyes shot open in horror at the sight of corpses splayed out everywhere, with torture wounds covering many of them. Various weapons and torture devices also littered the area, giving the room a sickening appearance.

“Wh-Wh-WHAT THE FUCK?!”

The man immediately turned to run away, but was surprised when his nose bumped into something. He stumbled back, then looked up to see a man much taller than him standing at the foot of the stairs, dressed in a blood-splattered hoodie that covered most of his blonde hair, with a surgical mask covering his face. Only his deep crimson eyes could be seen, staring down at him coldly.

“H-H-Hey, d-d-don’t tell me… YOU did this?!”

“...” The creepy man didn’t say anything, and simply started walking towards the delinquent with even steps.

“S-Stay back! I-I-I’m warning you!” he shouted as he took tentative steps away. His orders went ignored. “N-No! Please! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!”