Episode 7: "The True Face Under the Hood"

White-Cloaked Man
"Hm? Now that's a pair of faces I know well."

The man looked on at Yo and Tsuki, a jeering smile etched on his face.
He said he knew them well...

Yo Kuronaka
"Sui... Is that really you?"

White-Cloaked Man
"Don't tell me you already forgot your childhood friend! You're gonna hurt me, man."

The hood hid his eyes, but it could never hide that voice. Sui's voice.
But they didn't want to believe...

Tsuki Iroha
"This... is a joke, right? This can't be you, Sui!"

Tsuki raised her voice.
She held on to hope still that it wasn't her childhood friend under that cloak.

White-Cloaked Man
"Geez, you're cold. Such a bummer, too. 'Cause no matter how you slice it..."

He yanked the top of his hood down, revealing his face.

Sui Yakumo
"...I'm your dear childhood friend!"

Yo Kuronaka
"No!"

With the hood gone, there was no more hiding it. The one that stood before them was no one other than Sui.
Red hair, sharp eyes... It couldn't be anyone else.
His face twisted into a wicked smile.
It spoke of no kindness, only mockery.

Tsuki Iroha
"No, you're lying! You have to be! You must be an impostor! Or a robot! Yes, you must be another robot!"

Tsuki still could not accept it even when the one in front of her was undeniably Sui.

Sui Yakumo
"And here I thought we were the best of friends! Just to prove it to ya, how about we redo our promise?"

Yo Kuronaka
"Wha..."

Their promise...
Sui thrust out his fist in front of him.
There was no way an impostor would know about that. That promise was a proof of them—of their friendship. Something no one else knew of. Their private little secret.

Tsuki Iroha
"..."

Tsuki just stood there, silent. Shaking.

Sui Yakumo
"Ha! Looks like you finally believe me, huh?"

Tsuki Iroha
"No... No, no, no! You're not Sui! There's NO WAY you're Sui!"

Sui Yakumo
"Open your eyes! People change! Right, Yo?"

Tsuki Iroha
"...!"

Sui's words hurt Tsuki to her core. Her eyes began to water.

Sui Yakumo
"When I died and was separated from you two, I was finally given the power I sought.
I was the weak link, and that's why I died.
But it opened my eyes to the truth. The truth that the only thing that matters is winning to be above it all!"

Sui's eyes connected with Yo's. They overflowed with hostility. Seething hatred.

Sui Yakumo
"And when it comes to games, all that matters is that I win! No matter the means!
And I won't ever lose a game again... Whether to the governing rules, XG, or even to you!!!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Sui..."

The Sui that had risked his life to save Yo was now gone, drowning in a sea of hatred.
What had happened to him? To the friend he once knew? Whatever had happened, whoever stood here now wasn't that.
Yo's heart could break.

Sui Yakumo
"Here, in Minato City, you can stand at the top as long as you have the power.
Everyone here envies me! They worship me! They FEAR me! And it's the freakin' BEST! With nothing to hold me back, I am finally me! The Real Sui Yakumo! Number 9!"

Tsuki Iroha
"Zero... He must've done something to you!"

That was the only reasonable way to explain his transformation. He'd had to have been brainwashed.
Maybe if they could snap him out of it, they could bring back the old Sui back to them... right?

Sui Yakumo
"Whatever. Believe what you want, but since our emotional reunion is over...
...we can go ahead and get started!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Start? Start what?"

Yo tilted his head in confusion, thoughts errant. With everything going on all at once, he could scarcely think straight.

Sui Yakumo
"Man, you're slow! Or you just playin' stupid, huh? I'll break it down for ya! I'm the King of Minato City, and Number 9. So, what do you and I gotta do now?"

Tsuki Iroha
"...No! No, no, stop!"

Tsuki shook her head, desperate words leaving her mouth.

Sui Yakumo
"Someone here gets it! If you wanna do something about the city, then you'll have to beat me at XG!"

Yo Kuronaka
"We have to play XG... against you?!"

Yo finally caught on to what Sui meant.
He wasn't his childhood friend anymore. He wasn't his teammate. He was the King. Number 9.
There was one foregone conclusion to be drawn whenever the Trash Tribe would run into one of the Numbers.
They had to start XG... They had to start the survival game.

Sui Yakumo
"So, let's get this started now! Time to put our lives on the line for a crazy game, man!!!"

Tsuki Iroha
"No! Stop it! We can't fight against you! It's not right!"

Sui wanted to fight. Tsuki didn't want to.
And in Yo's mind, there was only one correct answer among the two options being thrust upon him.

Yo Kuronaka
"There's no way we'll fight you! We're... We're childhood friends, remember?!"

His mind might not remember, but his soul did.
The memories might not be there, but he knew of the days the three of them had spent together. Even in this moment, Yo felt close to Sui.
He wasn't just a friend. He was his family.
And you don't kill your family. You just don't.

Sui Yakumo
"There you go again with that nonsense! You were nothin' like this before, but I guess you can't remember that."

Sui scratched his ear, every word spoken with contempt.

Tsuki Iroha
"Don't listen to him, Yo! Zero definitely did something to him!"

Sui Yakumo
"You need to start shuttin' up or I'll make you, Tsuki!"

It happened in a blur.
Sui kicked off the ground like lightning, reaching Tsuki before any of them even had time to process what was happening.

Tsuki Iroha
"Urk..."

He struck Tsuki on the face with the full momentum of his leap behind his fist.
Tsuki flew backwards through the air until her body skidded to a stop.

Yo Kuronaka
"Tsuki!"

Yo flew toward Tsuki in a panic, falling to his knees to prop her up.
She was unconscious, but thankfully still breathing.
Her cheek sported an ugly red bruise and her legs and arms bled from scraping against the ground.

Sui Yakumo
"Tch. Look what you did. Pickin' a fight with you bunch'a weaklings lowered my points. Laaame."

His tone showed no emotion other than simple boredom as he shook the hand he'd used to punch Tsuki with.
The King had attacked a Commoner. Someone so clearly underneath him.
Yet while his points decreased, they only did so barely.

Yo Kuronaka
"Sui..."

Much as he wanted to, the feeling that welled up within him wasn't anger, but instead a deep, deep sadness.
How did everything turn out this way?
Why did they have to hurt each other? It didn't make any sense.

Sui Yakumo
"How long are ya gonna play dumb for, Yo? The XG game already started!"

Sui kicked off the ground again.
He closed the gap between him and Yo, landing another strike directly to the side of Yo's face.

Yo Kuronaka
"Urk!"

It felt as if he'd been run over by a truck.
His body flew into the air, with the ease of a leaf caught in the wind. Much like Tsuki, he skidded against the ground and skipped a couple of times until he came to a stop.

Yo Kuronaka
"Urk... Gaaahh..."

He tried to prop himself up, but his strength failed him.
His consciousness began to fade. Sui's figure turned to two as he strode on, Yo now seeing double from the impact.

Sui Yakumo
"Hey, hey, heeey. Don't tell me that's all you got? And you really challenged me like that?
All you're doin' is makin' my points go down."

The display right above him showed a drop in dominance yet again.
Yet it remained an insignificant number.
He started out with such a large number that the change barely made a difference.
Sui could strike Yo as much as he wanted and yet his numbers would never climb down enough to be on Yo's level.
Despair clawed at him. It was like comparing a pond to an ocean.

Sui Yakumo
"Do you get it now? The difference in our power? Maybe you're ready to be done with this XG."

Yo Kuronaka
"..."

He couldn't even muster the strength to speak.
It was all he could do just to barely remain conscious.

Sui Yakumo
"Aw, givin' me the silent treatment now? Whelp. If you're gonna be such a killjoy, guess I better wrap this up quick."

Sui cracked his knuckles as he continued his approach.
This was it. This was where Yo would die.

Kazuki Aoyama
"Sorry, but we'll have to stop you right there, Sui. Wouldn't be fair if you didn't give us a fair break."

That voice was Kazuki's.
He must've come out from hiding, knowing how dire the situation was for him and Tsuki.

Sui Yakumo
"Hey, hey! You got some nerve, hidin' like a rat."

"Take Tsuki and run!"
Yo wanted to tell him that, but he found the words wouldn't come out. Kazuki wouldn't hear it. He'd reached his limit.
His vision soon gave out.
And he found himself sinking into the darkness.