Kyō’s Addiction  

Confirming that the target had started moving, he began to walk. Honestly, he had intended to persist a bit longer. He was relieved that the opportunity had come sooner. With no school, he had all the time in the world. That said, constantly tailing the target was exhausting.

Kyō recalled the disastrous previous hunt. Then, unconsciously, he injected his arm. By doing so, the withdrawal symptoms were suppressed in no time.

To put it simply, he had been completely helpless. No matter how many X-gun shots he fired, they had no effect. And just as he was about to switch to the Z-gun, he was grabbed by an invisible force. After that, there was nothing he could do.

He followed the blonde foreigner who had left the food stall. She didn't seem to be on guard at all. He remembered what the short-haired, sunglasses-wearing man, Taira, had said.

That's right, the ball. If he could destroy the red ball containing that alien along with it, he could kill the opponent without giving them a chance to act. If he sniped it well, the woman would have no way to fight back. And he could have it all to himself. He could keep clearing.

Looking at the ball, he gradually became furious. It was truly despicable. At that time, it was clearly mocking him. Laughing at his struggling form.

"Hmm?"

Yes, this was it. It had been a purple haze like this.

Kyō screamed and fell over. He got up immediately, but it seemed the woman had also noticed due to the sound. However, her face didn't look particularly surprised.

"Mikaruge, don't overdo it."

The purple haze swayed gently. The woman, apparently named Shirona, calmly looked at Kyō, who had his weapon ready.

"S-Stay back!" 

"You're the guy who was on the motorcycle. I remember." 

"Ahhh!"

His arm was forcibly swung, and the rifle-shaped X-gun he was holding flew away. His fingers were trembling uncontrollably, which was also to blame. He was hesitating whether he should respond to the threat in front of him now or quickly take out a new drug from his pocket.

"Where's your home? It's dangerous, right? Aren't your parents worried?" 

"None of your business. I'm here to get points." 

"Wait a moment."

Shirona threw a ball. And out came an alien that looked like a plant. However, Kyō was no longer sure if he should perceive it as an alien. He vaguely remembered her calling them Pokémon.

The plant alien pointed at Kyō with its flower, then made a complex cry toward Shirona. Her expression immediately tightened.

"Show me what's in your pocket." 

"Huh?" Shirona's eyes were serious.

"It says there's a strange smell. Apparently, it senses the same thing from your body. What are you doing?" 

"None of your business." 

"I suppose so."

Contrary to her words, Kyō's body was restrained. Again with that incomprehensible psychic power. The purple haze was calmly exercising its power. Struggling was futile.

She quickly pulled a syringe from his pocket and narrowed her eyes. "What is this?" 

"Who knows." 

"I have an idea. In the past, there was a group that tried to do the same thing. That was for Pokémon, but this seems different."

It was thrown away. Her foot easily destroyed the tool that was supposed to be used for medical purposes.

Kyō began to sweat profusely from his forehead. It wasn't a metaphor; his head really felt like it was about to burst.

"What are you doing?!" 

"What about school?"

He didn't even notice the change in how she addressed him.

"Who cares about that? Compensate me." 

"Education is important here too, right? How do you live? What about your parents?" 

"I don't know. They both died. Now I'm staying at different women's places. I'm not struggling or anything."

In reality, he was freeloading at his aunt's place, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth in front of Shirona. It wasn't a complete lie either. He had lived that kind of life in the past. Kyō was quite popular. He himself understood that his face was quite well-proportioned. However, after obtaining the entertainment called Gantz, he had lost interest in such things.

Shirona didn't back down at all. She crossed her arms and brought her face even closer.

"Then all the more reason not to. Don't cause trouble for unrelated people. Stop doing that. You'll never find happiness." 

"Wait. I'm not the only one doing it. Those guys too! Nobu and the others do drugs too."

After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. "Those people are fine. They're adults who can make their own decisions. They willingly chose that path. But you're different. You're still a child, right? There's still room for you to go back." 

"Don't mess with me! I'll kill you, hag!" 

"...Looks like we need a little ingenuity."

The haze called Mikaruge approached. Kyō tried to run, but Shirona held him down. She was also wearing the suit now. If he resisted with the intent to kill, it might be a different story. But he had already lost his fighting spirit.

Again, he was dragged by psychic power into a back alley. When they reached a spot out of anyone's sight, Mikaruge touched his head.

"What are you-"

"The important thing for recovering from this is willpower. I'm going to put a strong suggestion on you now. Imagine something you want to cling to instead of drugs. That woman, or something else decent. I'll replace it properly." 

"Stop..."

Accepting a part of that advice, he tried to mentally resist the psychological intrusion. However, such makeshift resistance ended in vain.

"Ugh..."

He was anxious. He was scared. Something that had been filling his heart was slipping away. It felt like his very existence was being swept away. Until now, even when he fell into such a sensation, he had been able to hold on. The pleasure given by the drugs had kept him tethered. But not anymore. The powdered reserve in his pants pocket was also taken out.

"It hurts, it hurts..."

Withdrawal symptoms had reached their limit. He truly felt his life was in danger.

Part of the purple haze entered his head.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here."

Before he knew it, he was being embraced by Shirona. She gently let his face sink into her chest. Kyō couldn't even open his eyes anymore and couldn't think of the option to push her away.

"It's not just your fault. It's also the environment that allowed you to do this. It's okay. You can go back to normal. Relax. Imagine lots of other things..."

He felt like he was sleeping on a proper pillow for the first time in days. But in the corner of his mind, he knew. He was clinging to the chest of a woman he barely knew. But it was certainly soft. Shirona seemed to be the type who looked much slimmer than she actually was. Kyō's head was filled with a size he had never felt before. He only let her gentle voice enter his ears.

Gradually, his heartbeat calmed down. The endless flow of tears stopped as if it had been a lie. He accepted her embrace until his breathing became completely steady.

At some point, he realized he had sunk to the ground, but managed to stand up.

"...Get away."

He stretched out his arm and rejected Shirona. She didn't resist. She just quietly met his gaze and nodded several times.

"The important thing is labor."

Kyō opened his mouth, forgetting to compose his face.

"Huh?" 

"You have a suit too. Don't worry, first focus on earning money on your own. That sense is important. It'll be fine if I ask at my workplace. Let's work hard together." 

"Hey, enough of your..." 

"I'm Shirona. Remember it already."

Confidently returning Mikaruge to its ball, she walked away. She showed no wariness toward him. Exposing a defenseless back. If he attacked now, it would be effective.

He aimed the tube-shaped X-gun he had picked up at the ball on her waist. It was connected to the computer in his bag. It was something Kyō himself had modified. It displayed the alien's points.

That's right, points were still being displayed. Moreover, they were increasing. Every individual had been adjusted upward. The game should have already ended, but this was clearly odd. If he interpreted Gantz's intentions in a convenient way...

The finger on the trigger twitched.

It meant it was still going on. If he finished them off, he would get points. Doing it all would be more than just profitable.

Or...

Kyō broke out in a slight sweat.

There was also the option of informing Muroya and the others about this fact. If they cooperated again and caught the opponent off guard, they could definitely get their hands on at least one of them. It was worth doing. Rather, that's what he should do. It was the best plan strategy-wise.

The light blue jacket fabric. A faint scent. The soft sensation of her chest. The throbbing in his head subsided. It resembled the freshness he had felt before becoming addicted to the drugs.

"...Tch."

He lowered the X-gun. Then, after putting everything in his bag, he observed her receding figure one last time before turning in the opposite direction.

Her words. He tried not to think too much about what his craving for the drugs had been replaced with. Ever since yesterday, he had felt like he was being deceived by something, and the sense of unreality had only intensified. To the point where he thought his own mind might be going crazy. Even more so than when he had been caught up in something as absurd as Gantz.

So he didn't pay it any mind. He dismissed it as an illusion when the forms of the balls on her waist momentarily seemed to waver.