Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 103 SHOPPING PLAZA

“I want a Boba tea,” Kishimoto said as we walked around the mall. They called it a plaza, but it was basically a mall in my book. Stores all around there were plenty of people out and about. 

“After Sei gets her pretzel,” I said. It had been almost a month since Sei joined us. We had only been on 1 mission for Gantz. It was a weird one since no new people were called. We had to fight a short alien with wings while jumping across building rooftops. Everyone in the group had been training, so it wasn’t too hard. 

The main protagonist had joined the group, and honestly, he wasn’t that bad. From what I remembered Kurono Kei had been a lusty teenager. Full of hormones and emotions. He had only been gone for a little over a week. After accepting that he had died he calmed down a lot. Joining us for training he couldn’t help but lust after Sei and Kishimoto, but I couldn’t blame him. They were gorgeous. 

We were in the same grade but different classes. I soon talked him into asking out the skinny girl he ended up with in the manga and they were currently dating. Kei was a lot better than he used to be. I had received a quest for the last Gantz mission so I felt like I was back on target. I only got yen as a reward though. 

Sei had pretty much moved in with me after our first night together. The cosplayer had a minor part time job and she still made some money with pictures from her cosplay. She hadn’t seen the guy that killed her, but I told her to keep an eye out. I planned to take care of it if he ever showed up. 

After Sei started hanging around I bought a king size bed and we got into a routine. Kishimoto would work on meals, Sei would put some money in from her part time job, and I would go to school. I had talked to my parents a few times, but they never stopped by the apartment. Since I continued to do well in school they didn’t care. 

I was rather enjoying Gantz. I knew stuff would only get harder, but I liked Sei and Kishimoto. I had sex at least 3 times a day with either of them. They didn’t have the skills Hina and Reina had, so they were easily worn out. I doubted they would be against adding someone else, and I knew just who to shoot for. 

Reika Shimohira, she was the Japanese idol in the story. She had been all over the news lately. Long dark hair, breasts that actually appeared larger than Kishimoto’s. I knew she would be joining the Gantz crew. I had changed some, but I didn’t think too much. Either way she would probably die somehow and I would simply swoop in and show off my skills. She fell pretty quick for Kurono’s strength, but I actually knew what I was doing. I had real strength. 

“What are you thinking about?” Sei asked, her thick lips quirking in a smile. 

“Your ass,” I said, slapping it. 

She blushed. “Don’t do that in public,” she whispered. 

“Just the bedroom?” I asked. She blushed more. 

“Why do I let someone so much younger than me, bully me?” She mumbled. 

“Cus you love it,” I said. “Come on. Let’s buy you both something pretty.” They walked on either side of me. Both drawing eyes from their amazing looks. I didn’t realize something was wrong until I heard the gunfire. 

“Is that firecrackers?” Kishimoto asked. I grabbed both girls and pulled them into a store. Making them duck down. 

“Gunfire,” I said. People gasped around us as it continued to sound out. 

“How do you know?” Sei asked. 

“It is very distinct,” I said. I knew because after a couple of days in High School of the Dead I had heard enough of it. “Something is going on. There might be a mass shooter.” People began to jog away from where the gunfire was coming from. Then people began to yell and panic as it continued. Becoming louder and more constant. 

“You girls go to the back of the store,” I ordered as I got the quest. 

I didn’t recognize the name. I cursed. I’d never gotten a kill quest before. Only defeats and saves. This was Gantz though. Killing was part of it. 

“What are you doing?” Kishimoto asked as I pulled them into the clothing store. I pulled out my MHA costume from my inventory. It had kevlar armor pieces, and I didn’t trust the Gantz gear to stop a bullet. I hadn’t been hit yet, and I didn’t plan to be. 

I put it on quickly as I moved the girls to the changing rooms. “I am going to kill whoever is doing this,” I said. 

“Weston, don’t,” Sei said, grabbing my arm. “Don’t risk it.” I pulled up my hood and facemask.

“It’s not a risk for me,” I said. “You don’t move from here without me.” The girls huddled together and I was out of there. Pouring chakra into my body I heard the gunfire just ahead. People were running more frantically. I used chakra to run along the wall. No one noticed me. And as I came into the food court area I saw the massacre. 

There were bodies everywhere. Women, children, adults, old people. They were shot down indiscriminately. A man wearing a heavy coat and hood over his head was walking away from me. His rifle pointed to shoot anyone that moved. 

Rage filled me as I stealthily moved to him. My Gantz Knife in hand the black blade lengthened to 2 feet long as I thought about it doing so. I dropped down from the ceiling behind the man. The knife sticking into his back I asked, “Why?” 

The man stopped his movement as the knife dug further in. He tried to look back, but I dug it in deeper. “Gantz told me to,” he whispered.

I bit my lip and decapitated him with a smooth hand motion. His head rolled away, body dropping boneless without any drama. I didn’t remember this at all. Why would Gantz tell anyone to do this? What was the point? I heard the chime in my ear. Cursing I turned around. Walking away I searched bodies but was blown away by an explosion. 

My body flew 20 feet, slamming into the wall and I passed out. 

—

“Weston!” Kishimoto ordered. Slapping me. 

I gasped, sitting up. My eyes adjusted quickly. We were in the Gantz room. I was still in my costume. Looking down I was completely fine. “What happened?” I asked Sei and Kishimoto as I began to disrobe. 

“We were teleported here,” Sei said. “Along with…” She pointed to all the people in the room. There were at least 30. Far more than had ever been called before. I recognized some. There was the giant martial artist. The psychic kid, his girlfriend, and sensei, and I thought a few others I recognized. Kato was soon being teleported, I was sure Kurono would follow. 

I became naked and was starting to put on my Gantz suit. “You girls are wearing yours, right?” They nodded. I was in it as Kato appeared fully. 

“What’s going on?” He asked. “Why were we teleported?” 

“No idea, could be an emergency mission.”

“Who are all these people?” 

“A mass shooter killed them all, at the mall,” I said. Looking over faces they were all scared. “Let’s do this,” I said as Kei began to be printed. 

“Alright, everyone move away from the ball,” I ordered. There was a wide range in the group. An old couple, someone that appeared to be their grandson crying beside them, the huge martial artist, the psychics, troubling teens that were all energy, the want to be gangsters. “Move it!” I barked. People started moving. I grabbed shoulders and guided them. A couple tried to struggle but I was firm and they moved away from it. 

“You,” I said. There was a girl sitting in the corner. She was wearing a cap as I bent down for her. She flinched as I grabbed her arm. “Not being mean. Go to those 2 girls over there,” I ordered. She looked up and I recognized her. She was way prettier in person. I acted like I didn’t know her as I pointed to Kishimoto and Sei. She nodded and moved to them. Keeping her head down as she did. 

I moved to the front of the ball. “How many of you were killed by the mass shooter at the shopping plaza?” I asked. No one raised their hands. 

“You for sure, I saw your body. You 3, yeah. Who else? All of you?” I asked. “Don’t be surprised. This room is where some people go when they die. I have died, and the others in the black suits have died…” I gave my whole spiel about what happened. 

When I finished, I recognized someone. He was tall. Long dark hair to his shoulders I couldn’t help but ask, “You, what’s your name?” 

The guy frowned. “Uh, Shion Izumi.” I looked at my quest. It had completed. I was on him instantly. My hand on his throat I was ripping him from the crowd as people scattered away. 

“It was you! You killed all those people!” I barked. His face began to turn purple as he struggled to breath. 

“Weston! What are you doing?” Kato asked. 

I looked up at him, rage in my eyes. “I saw it. He was the mass shooter. This fucker killed all these people,” I said. I released his neck. “Tell them!” 

“I didn’t,” he gasped. Trying to fight me. 

“Wrong answer,” I said as I pulled the Chikyugi Necklace out. I poured chakra into it then into him and we were in the dungeon. 

It wasn’t pretty, or quick. He really did have a lot of will. But as I kept going and he began to cry, he broke. Tears in his eyes as he begged to be let out I relented after another hour of torture. 

“I did it!” He cried out. Only a second had passed for these people. “I killed you all.” 

“Why?” I asked. My hands just barely away from his neck, ready to break it. 

“Gantz,” he said. “I wanted to see Gantz.”

“But why? Who told you about it?” 

“I don’t know,” he cried. The male model worthy man sobbed. “I just felt the need.” 

“I go to class with him,” Kurono said, stepping up. “I was talking to him the other day and he mentioned Gantz. He showed me a website that talked about Gantz. I thought it was crazy. I was going to tell you when we trained next.” 

“Fuck,” I said. Slowly remembering. “You were here before, weren’t you?” I asked the man in my hands. He nodded. 

“I didn’t remember until I was in the room,” he gasped. “I lost my memories after getting 100 points, and becoming free.”

“How’d that turn out for you?” I asked. Twisting his neck he died with a yelp. I looked to the others. They didn’t appear happy I had killed their murderer. I didn’t care. 

“Weston,” Kato said. 

“Don’t start,” I said. “He killed all of these people. He deserved it.” I threw his body away and it hit the opposite wall with a thud. “Okay people. In a secon-” The music started and the next hunt began.