Late at night, Futaba laid awake in her room, her ice-blue eyes staring at the ceiling blankly.

After a while of basking in the afterglow of the joy she’d felt from killing another human being, the feeling eventually wore off, and Futaba decided to head home to shower and change.

The usual abuse passed by in the blink of an eye seemingly, and she could scarcely remember what her father even did to her before she found herself laying in bed.

Her mind was full of thoughts of the day’s events. Her first exposure to Dregs Game was less-than-favorable to say the least, but it had quickly grown on her once she realized what it was all about.

So “Dregs Game” is a survival deathmatch where participants are assigned targets and hunters among each other, and the objective is to hunt down and kill your target while avoiding being killed yourself.

It was honestly amazing. It seemed unbelievable that a game like that could be played in broad daylight, but so far she hadn’t heard anything about murders taking place around the city. Not that she often kept up with the news, but a game of that kind would surely be a hot topic.

Ah, but Mikabe did say it was a secret game. So I guess the admins have a way to cover things up.

Either way, it was a lot more fun than she had initially thought going in. The idea of being able to kill someone without any repercussions, and instead being rewarded for it with money was just too thrilling to pass up.

But speaking of money, Futaba had used the credit card delivered to her to try and retrieve her earnings from an ATM on her way home, but found that only 100,000 yen had been transferred to her account instead of the 200,000 she should have gotten from killing her target.

Well, she hadn’t really cared about the money in the first place so she just brushed the whole thing off in the end.

As her eyes drifted shut, a single thought entered her mind.

I hope the next round starts sometime soon…

-----

The next day at school Futaba arrived to see Mikabe being bullied next to the school gate again. A group of girls were surrounding her as one dumped a bucket of some weird liquid on her.

“Hahaha, be thankful that we went through all this effort for you.”

“Yeah, do you know how much we suffered to gather this sewage water? It was seriously gross.”

“Gross, but totally worth it!” The bullies burst into laughter.

“...” Even while on her knees soaked in sewage water, Mikabe had a smile on her face. The smile only grew once she laid eyes on Futaba. “Futaba-san. Good morning.”

“...Good morning.”

“““Eh?””” The girls turned to look at Futaba, who returned their stares with her own neutral look.

“You’ll be late if you stand around,” Mikabe continued. “You should head to class.”

In response to her innocent expression, Futaba nodded and walked past the group, but a hand on her shoulder kept her from leaving.

“Hold on.” Futaba turned back to see one of the girls staring at her with eyes of hatred. “I hope you haven’t forgotten what you did before. I still have to pay you back for that time, so watch your back.”

“...Who are you?”

“Ha?”

“I’m asking you who you are. Have we met before?”

“Y-You-! You can’t even remember the face of someone who nearly drowned you in a bucket of dirty water?!”

“...That was you?”

“YES! From the classroom and the girls’ bathroom, that was me!”

“I’ll get you back for what you did,” the one in front said. “You thought Mikabe had it bad? Just wait, freak.”
[↕ Same person]
“Don’t get cocky! I’m sick of you talking as if you’re superior to others! That kind of attitude-!” The box cutter was raised high into the air by both of her hands. “Don’t look down on me!!”

“...?” Futaba tilted her head, trying to recall. After several seconds passed, the girl suddenly shouted.

“If it takes you that long to remember, then it’s useless!!” She ripped her hand away from Futaba’s shoulder. “Forget me all you like, I won’t ever forgive you. I swear I’ll make your life a living hell until the day you die.”

“Okay.”

“O-Okay?!”

Futaba shrugged, looking unperturbed by her threats. “Do whatever you like. I didn’t care before what you did to me, and I still don’t care now.”

“You…!”

Without another word, Futaba began to walk away, leaving the group behind with Mikabe.

As she departed, a ghost of a smile spread across her face.

That… felt good.

-----

All throughout the subsequent days of going through her usual routine, Futaba found that she simply wasn’t bothered by any of the usual misfortunes that would befall her. Getting scolded by teachers didn’t annoy her, enduring her father’s abuse was easier than before, and being bullied didn’t make her feel suicidal.

It was as if none of it mattered anymore.

The reason was simple: Dregs Game. All she could think about was when the next round would start, what kind of target and hunter she would get, and how she would go about killing them. The thoughts plagued her mind at almost every hour of each day, filling her with feelings of anticipation and hope.

Just the idea of looking forward to something was alien to her, but now she understood why it was such a popular feeling. She enjoyed every minute of it.

After only a single game, Dregs Game had become her reason to live.

Eventually another day of school let out, and as Futaba was exiting the school gate, a voice called out to her.

“Futaba-san,” Mikabe said as she approached with a small wave. Before Futaba could respond to her greeting, she quickly slinked her wrist around her elbow, linking their arms together.

“Let go of me.”

“Let’s go home together today, okay?” Mikabe continued, ignoring her. “I’ll treat you to something good on the way back.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanna hang out with you, that’s why. And also to make up for not being able to answer your question during the last game. I feel really bad about that, you know?”

“I don’t care about that anymore. I figured it out in the end anway, so it’s fine.” Futaba tried to shake herself free of Mikabe’s grip, but she quickly brought her other arm up to hold herself in place, effectively hugging Futaba’s arm.

“Futaba-san, you’ll hurt my feelings if you reject me so strongly.” She pouted cutely, but the expression faded beneath Futaba’s unamused glare. “Pretty please? What if I promise that you won’t regret it?”

“...” Futaba thought about the last time she’d said those words, and found herself drawn to them yet again. “Fine. But I can’t be out too late or my dad will get mad.”

“Great! I know a good place near your house where we can eat some ice cream. C’mon I’ll take you there.” Mikabe began to walk, pulling Futaba along while still hugging her side tightly.

“...Too close.”

“It’s fine, isn’t it~? Just humor me this one time.”

“...”

“If you keep glaring at me like that, you might awaken me to an unexpected path, Futaba-san.”

...As usual, I can’t understand what goes through this person’s head.

-----

Futaba fidgeted awkwardly, feeling slightly exposed sitting at a two-person table next to a large window. The cafe Mikabe had taken her to had a few other patrons eating and chatting at other tables, but it was far from a full-house.

Even so, Futaba still felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t exactly explain why, but there was this feeling of displeasure running through her, and so she sat as stock still as possible with her hands on her lap and a displeased tint to her normal stoic expression.

“...”

“...Hey hey, look at that girl over there.”

“Hm? She’s pretty cute. What about her?”

“Right~? Doesn’t she look just like a doll sitting there? It might be the light from the window, but she looks so… picturesque.”

“You wanna ask her for a picture then? I don’t think she’d mind.”

“What? No no! I don’t wanna disturb her. Plus she seems kinda upset about something.”

“Ahh, I see what you mean. Maybe she’s not used to being out in public or something. Probably shouldn’t pester her then.”

Similar whispers between patrons filled the air of the cafe as people began to take notice of Futaba. Just as questions of whether or not she was alone mixed among them, Mikabe returned with two ice cream cones in her hand.

“Here. One vanilla cone.”

“Thanks,” Futaba muttered as she took it. Mikabe settled into the seat across from her while holding her own chocolate cone and silently watched Futaba stare at her ice cream.

“Futaba-san,” she eventually said with a small smile. “It’ll melt if you just keep staring at it.”

“...” Futaba didn’t respond, and instead glanced up at Mikabe once before returning to the dessert in her hand. After a few more moments of hesitation, she leaned forward and took a bite out of the ice cream.

“Nngh...!” Futaba recoiled as a stinging sensation flashed through her teeth from the contact with the cold vanilla. She gripped her mouth with her free hand as her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Futaba-san…” Mikabe breathed, eyes wide. “Have you… never eaten ice cream before?”

A few moments of silence before Futaba slowly shook her head.

“...Pfft.” Mikabe stifled her snort with her free hand, earning a glare from Futaba.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just surprised, is all. You’ve never gone out to eat ice cream with your family? Or even just seen it on TV?”

“...No. I’ve never eaten fast food either. My dad always cooks for me. And we don’t have a TV.”

“Ahh, I see. Don’t tell me he’s a fabled ‘helicopter parent’? Like he wants you to avoid certain things found in common food, so he cooks for you all the time.”

“...Something like that,” Futaba replied neutrally. Her gaze found Mikabe’s cone. “So how do you eat it? Show me.”

“Show you? Alright.” Mikabe shrugged and licked her ice cream. “See? You just lick it. It’s cold until it melts in your mouth, so try not to let it touch your teeth.”

“Lick it…” Futaba looked down at her ice cream, then slowly brought her tongue out to run across the surface. Instantly, her taste buds registered the flavor and her eyes widened slightly.

“Good?” Mikabe leaned forward on one hand and asked her.

“...Nn.” Futaba nodded once, then returned to slowly licking her ice cream. As she did so, her gaze traveled out of the window to the streets outside, now beginning to be bathed in the orange glow of the evening.

It reminded her of her first experience with Dregs Game, and the rush of joy she experienced after killing her target in an evening just like this. Though several days had already passed, she could still remember the scene vividly. Just the thought of being able to kill again sent a few pleasant shivers through her.

But now that the subject of Dregs Game was on her mind, she couldn’t help the questions that rose to the surface of her mind.

“Hey Mikabe.”

“Mm?” Mikabe, who’d been silently enjoying her chocolate cone, glanced her way.

“About Dregs Game… How do the admins cover everything up? I haven’t heard anything about people dying repeatedly.”

Well aside from news reports about my dad, but I stopped listening to those a long time ago.

“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure myself,” Mikabe answered. “It seems like they have a way to clean the murder scenes and dispose of the bodies before anyone notices, but I’ve never seen the process with my own eyes. It’s true that they’re good at what they do though. I’ve even seen murders take place in public places, but in the end nobody ever talks about it.”

“Is that so…” Futaba fell into thought as she wondered just how powerful the admins were that even the police wouldn’t get involved.

“The purpose of the game is to eliminate the dregs of society,” Mikabe continued. “Many of the admins are members of the government and high ranking police officials, or so I’ve heard. They’re interested in removing people like us, who only hurt society in the long run, in a way that’s both discreet and requires little effort on their part. By letting us kill each other off, their problem will eventually be solved for them.”

“So that’s what Dregs Game is all about, huh.”

“Yup.” Mikabe smiled. “It’s also why they’re willing to reward those who can do well at the game. Several hundred thousand yen is nothing compared to euthanizing the small percentage of the population that suffer so much that we would even resort to murder.” She gestured with her cone. “If you do well at the game, you’re compensated for your trouble. If you fail, then you’ll just die like you were probably planning to anyway. Those with suicidal thoughts or who’ve attempted suicide before are the primary player base of Dregs Game.”

“...You sure know a lot about Dregs Game.”

“It’s really not anything special. A lot of this information is readily available on their site, you know? It’s not hard to make certain inferences based on that.”

“Oh...” Futaba went silent as she remembered that she never bothered to read the information on the Dregs Game site.

Mikabe showed her a sympathetic smile as she read her expression. “Well, I’m sure many people don’t read much past the game’s rules. As long as you follow the rules of the game, you won’t be at risk of getting arrested, and that’s what probably matters to them the most. I’m just of the sort that prefers to do my research before getting involved in anything shady.”

“...” Futaba nodded in understanding and the conversation ended there. Instead, she went back to lapping at her ice cream.

Mikabe watched her as she did so, her eyes following the movements of Futaba’s tongue. After a while, her lips suddenly curved into a devious smirk.

“...Futaba-san. Can I have some?”

“...?? Some of what?”

“Some of your ice cream. Can I have a taste?”

“...” Futaba’s expression made it clear that she had no idea what she was being asked.

“Here, just give it to me,” Mikabe said as she reached her hand out. Futaba looked at her suspiciously, but ultimately handed over her ice cream. “Come on, no need for that look. Here, you can have a taste of mine in return.”

“I don’t want yours though.”

“Hmph~” Mikabe pouted slightly as she ran her tongue across the surface of the vanilla cone. A content smile appeared on her face. “Mm. I usually don’t get vanilla because it’s too basic, but it really is good too.”

“Can I have it back now?”

“Nope~” Mikabe grinned and moved her hand holding the vanilla cone away while offering the chocolate cone to Futaba. “Not until you try this.”

“...”

“Futaba-san, I paid for both of these ice creams. You owe me for this.”

“Then let me pay you back like a normal person.”

“Geez, you don’t get it at all, do you? I’m saying it’s your legal obligation to try both of them at my request. Do you really want to be so heartless as to refuse the one to whom you’re now under debt?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about…” Futaba sighed and held her hand out. “Fine, I’ll take it. But after I try it, give me mine back.”

“Of course, of course.”

Futaba took the ice cream from Mikabe. She looked down at it for a few moments before she brought her tongue out to lick it.

“Good?” Mikabe asked.

“...I like the vanilla better.”

“Do you want more vanilla?”

“Yes. Give it back already.”

“...” Mikabe suddenly went silent. Futaba couldn’t read her expression at all. “...I’ll give you the vanilla if you close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Will you do it?”

“...” Futaba stared at her, but no matter how long she waited, she couldn’t tell what Mikabe was thinking. In the end she decided to just go along with it while silently regretting having accepted her offer to come here. “Fine. Just hurry up.”

She held her hand out to take the ice cream back, but seconds passed without anything happening.

She started to peek one eye open. “What is it-”

Her words were cut off as Mikabe’s lips met her own. Not only that, but she could feel Mikabe’s tongue push into her mouth, and the cold sensation of vanilla spread across her taste buds.

Her eyes opened, but she remained silent as Mikabe assaulted her mouth while leaning over the table and holding both ice creams. The feeling was alien to her, and she had no idea how to describe or react to it. But though she stayed still, she could feel herself involuntarily twitching as Mikabe’s tongue swirled around her own, producing various wet noises as their saliva mixed together with the vanilla ice cream.

Her eyes turned to the side, and sure enough everyone in the cafe was watching them with shocked faces. Futaba did not understand why Mikabe was feeding her ice cream using her tongue, but she at least knew that she wasn’t the only one that found it strange.

So it’s not the fault of me who doesn’t understand her. This person is just strange in the head. She was beginning to understand that truth about the girl who claimed to know her suffering and endured harsh bullying with a smile.

Still, Futaba didn’t see a reason to resist, so she remained still and let Mikabe do as she pleased with her usual stoic expression. Only once all of the ice cream had melted in their mouths did Mikabe pull back for air.

“Puahhh…!”

“...Why did you do that?”

“Hmm… Just felt like it, I guess,” she answered as she stood from her seat. “More importantly Futaba-san, let’s get out of here. We can’t be too late or your dad will get mad, right?”

“Yeah.” As Futaba stood from her seat too, Mikabe handed her the vanilla cone and grasped her free hand to pull her out of the store amidst the stares of the patrons.

“Hey. Why do you keep doing that?” Futaba asked as Mikabe pulled her along by the hand.

“Doing what?”

“Touching me and kissing me.”

Mikabe’s gait slowed as she suddenly released Futaba’s hand. Without turning around, she spoke. “...Do you dislike when I touch you or kiss you, Futaba-san?”

Futaba thought about it, but came to a quick answer. “Not really. I just don’t understand why you do it.”

“You really have no idea? Or… is it that you don’t have the capacity to understand...” Mikabe muttered to herself. She stayed silent for a while longer, but eventually turned back with a smile. “Well in that case, I’ll just have to keep doing it until you do understand.”

“Eh…?” Futaba’s brows furrowed in confusion, but Mikabe merely winked at her and resumed walking as she licked her ice cream.

...It seems like my life will be troublesome in a different way than it was before. she thought as she watched Mikabe’s retreating form.

But her gaze was soon drawn to the ice cream, now nearly finished in her hands. She stared at it in silence for a while until she suddenly heard a voice.

“What’s the matter, Futaba-san? This way, this way,” Mikabe called out to her. Futaba looked up to see her, half turned around and waiting for her to catch up with a bright smile that was framed by the setting sun.

“...”

Without realizing it, she clutched the ice cream a little tighter in her hands. Then she began to walk.

Well, it’s not like I mind it anyway.

 

Omake

“Grr…!” The girl who bullied Mikabe and Futaba bit her thumbnail in frustration. “How could that bitch treat me like some forgettable second-rate character! I was one of the first important characters in this story, and I even had the first speaking line after her, the protagonist!”

“Um…” One of the other girls started. “Technically, Sensei had the first speaking line in the story even before Futaba-san. And even though you spoke to her after that, neither you nor Sensei were ever properly named.”

“Eh?! Are you saying I was nothing more than a side character on the same level as that useless teacher?! Don’t mess with me!”

“S-Sorry! It’s just what I observed!”

Another girl put her hand to her chin in thought. “You know come to think of it, doesn’t it seem like we only exist as a way to force conflict onto Futaba-san and Mikabe-san? But even that isn’t really working anymore.”

“Yeah, now it seems like we just exist as a way to deepen their friendship and squeeze out whatever sympathy the readers may have left for those two after that puppy incident. Despite all our hard work, we don’t seem as threatening as we did in the beginning.”

“Toko, Misaki, shut up already!” Box Cutter Girl shouted.

“Eh? Were those our names?”

“Eh? They’re not?”

“No idea. We were never given names, probably because we were never intended to be more than stereotypical bully characters that occasionally try and fail to threaten the main characters.”

“D-Don’t be stupid! Obviously I’m one of those main characters! Otherwise, why would I be given so much more prominence than you idiots?!”

“Maybe because the ‘stereotypical bullies’ need a ‘stereotypical bully leader’ character?” someone offered.

“Like I said, stop saying such stupid things! Like hell I exist just to lead you lot of background bitches!”

“Then what’s your name, Miss Main Character?” The girls stared at her in suspicion as she fumbled for an answer.

“Er… th-that is… um…”

“Look, even in this omake the author’s been calling you ‘the girl who bullied Mikabe and Futaba’ and ‘Box Cutter Girl’. Even now, they don’t intend to give you a name!”

“Urgh…! Damn it!” She suddenly turned to shout at the sky. “You piece of trash author! Haven’t you been thinking I should have more importance in the story?! Well the first step is to GIVE ME A DAMN NAME!!!”