Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Events developed faster than previously anticipated. These people hadn’t made agreements like “Let’s go see the outside scenery together before guaranteeing our deaths with our own hands,” nor did they have any intention of sharing their sorrowful experiences with strangers. Instead, they silently waited for their collective death to arrive.

It seemed that the vast majority of those present truly harbored the intention to die; this murderous intent aimed at self-destruction was not feigned.

“…Couldn’t we just… just burn charcoal in a sealed room like those people did?” the female high school student of the couple stammered. She appeared uncomfortable interacting with others.

“That won’t work. If we triggered the smoke alarms in the hallway, it would cause trouble, wouldn’t it?” Jin shook his head.

Even if there were ways to prevent the alarm from triggering, the leakage of smoke or odor, or changes in room temperature might alert others. In short, it was a suicide method that could easily draw attention, especially with the current large number of people present.

And thinking more carefully, some members might have second thoughts. If someone wanted to leave the sealed room, it would inevitably cause chaos inside. After all, rising room temperature and fear of death were factors that could easily make people restless and anxious.

“As for other options… I’ve prepared sufficient tools. Like these.”

Jin took out more than a dozen utility knives of different colors but identical styles from his bag, arranging them on the table one by one.

One of the girls instinctively reached out to take one, but the young man grabbed her hand instead. She pulled her hand back forcefully as if electrified, retreating toward the back of the sofa and staring at him warily.

“Ahaha, sorry about that…” Jin scratched his head, though his face showed little remorse.

“What does this mean?” someone asked with furrowed brows.

“Just a preemptive warning. I must say, wrist-cutting suicide is very difficult. We’re all ordinary people with limited pain tolerance, unable to cut deep enough. The wounds would heal after a while… Besides leaving scars as souvenirs, the success rate is very low.”

Jin spoke eloquently, appearing quite experienced.

“I’ve prepared materials on this for a long time and have helped organize similar gatherings several times before, so these are very sincere suggestions.”

“The most convenient method would naturally be using sharp objects to stab vital points. But it’s simply impossible to have everyone kill each other. Additionally, non-professionals don’t understand physiological structures as well as they might imagine. With shaky hands, if you fail to stab your vital points, it would be terrible to lose mobility or suffer lasting damage from the pain. Seeing others’ gruesome scenes of blood spraying and flowing endlessly would also shake everyone’s resolve. Girls probably dislike such painful deaths too, right? So bloody acts unsuitable for minors must be prohibited.”

“Hanging is also somewhat troublesome.”

First, tools and space were limited.

Ropes that could bear body weight, beams or high places to suspend the ropes, chairs to stand on—this place couldn’t accommodate nine people’s worth.

It wasn’t impossible if they insisted.

But the remaining people would have to watch others hang themselves while waiting their turn. During this process, watching the suicide victims desperately kicking their feet driven by survival instinct, their bloodshot pale eyeballs bulging and rolling desperately, their faces turning a terrifying purplish-blue, their tongues protruding unnaturally like demons, and finally dying slowly after several minutes of suffocating agony in a deep sea of fear…

Everyone present was just an ordinary person. Similar to the previous suicide methods, witnessing someone gradually dying in the abyss of despair might cause unimaginable hesitation. If someone changed their mind halfway, complications would arise.

“Listen, J-Jin-san, what exactly are you trying to tell us?”

The young man spread his hands.

“I’m simply introducing suicide methods and their possible consequences and drawbacks to you all, my friends.”

“Does any of that matter? We just want to die. Is wanting to die not allowed?” someone complained loudly with an unpleasant attitude.

“Life isn’t that easy! The same goes for death. Everyone knows this, don’t they?” Jin smiled.

“…What’s your suggestion?” Senpai, sitting to the side, suddenly asked.

“Just a personal suggestion, nothing more. A way that won’t cause pain or trouble others, and most importantly, can let everyone present feel final warmth and die peacefully together as companions—”

He took out several bottles from his bag. And from under the table, he brought out a box of mineral water.

“Drug suicide.”

Hmm, so it was this method after all.

To ordinary people, this guy’s reasoning might sound reasonable.

Although various accidents could happen, taking drugs was indeed the easiest way overall. As long as sufficient quantities were prepared, and one wasn’t discovered in time and sent to the hospital for stomach pumping, life would be lost imperceptibly. It had no specific environmental requirements, the tools were relatively easy to obtain, and an overdose of sleeping pills would likewise result in death.

But that wasn’t right—

“Everyone, why don’t you try it?” he said while unscrewing the cap of a medication bottle and pouring out half of it at once. He grabbed a handful of white pills piled like a small mountain on a napkin and stuffed them into his mouth haphazardly. Then he took a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down.

Jin-san’s movements were smooth and natural, as if rehearsed. Before everyone could react, he had already swallowed at least half a bottle of sleeping pills in one go.

“…What’s the matter?”

Then, he looked over with a smile, his attitude too cheerful for someone committing suicide.

The young people present exchanged glances. The Novelist was the first to reach out, taking the bottle of sleeping pills and following the other’s actions, swallowing the medication with mineral water in large gulps.

With someone taking the lead, the remaining volunteers also consumed more than lethal doses of sleeping pills one after another, and finally returned to their seats.

Who knows how much time had passed.

Perhaps a few dozen minutes, or maybe several hours.

Because the curtains were drawn, light from outside couldn’t penetrate. The sense of time and the alternation of day and night became ambiguous.

Everyone lay sprawled across the sofas, sleeping soundly in their final dreams of life.

“Cough… cough cough!”

Accompanied by intense coughing, a figure sat up from the sofa.