Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing I notice is a digging, scalding pain pressing down against the tendons in my neck, wrists, and ankles. I can't tell what it is-- a strange object weighing on my neck? Tight straps? Why?

With a strain, I push my eye to the edge, attempting to grasp the smallest sliver of my peripheral. The rest of my body lays ahead in front of me, in what I guess is a horizontal position. Maybe I am laid about vertically. I can't tell. It is digging into my tendons and veins, barely letting me stay conscious, yet not letting me fade. The light above blinds me, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

Last thing I remember is being grabbed and pulled into the dark. My mother was on the floor and my dad was missing. I think… Someone else was there too. As I got pulled into the darkness, I could feel my head spin as I lost consciousness. Now, I’m here.

My name is Sara Chidouin, if I remember correctly. It would be pretty awful if I couldn’t remember correctly. I tried my best not to panic but the atmosphere wasn’t very calming. I take a couple of deep breaths and focus on the bright side-

I call out for someone- anyone, “Somebody! Is anyone there!”

Then I think of the stalker. Was it him? Did I get kidnapped? Was I… going to die? I feel a knot form in my stomach as my fear starts to well up.

“...Sara, is that you?” I heard a boy’s voice say to the right of me. It sounded familiar…
“It’s me, Joe,” Joe says. As soon as I hear those words I can practically hear the relief flowing through me.

“Joe?” I ask, sounding a little too hopeful than to my liking.

“Are you okay?” He immediately asks.

“Yeah,” I answer. “Just a bit uncomfortable.” I might've mumbled that last bit.

“Okay, that’s good. I can see you, from where I’m sitting but I guess you can’t.”

“Well, yeah,” I say, getting a bit impatient from this back-and-forth. “Can you-”

A beeping sound interrupts me. It's obnoxious and loud. It seems to be coming from-

“My phone?” Joe reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. At least I think he did. I can’t exactly see him. There is a tap sound and the beeping sound stops. Another ‘sound’ starts.

“Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu- welcome to your First Trial,” a voice more obnoxious than the beeping sound says through Joe’s phone. “You have 5 minutes to get out of your chairs or you will be executed.”

The voice message suddenly stops there.

“What? Hey! What the hell?” Joe exclaims.

“Executed? What is that supposed to mean?”

I felt a knot forming in my stomach again. Are we seriously going to die? Are the kidnappers playing some killing games with us?

The voice continues on, unfazed, “I’ll give you a hint. Find the key in the room. Good luck~”
“Oh no- what’re we gonna do?” Joe whimpers, clearly panicking.

“Check your pockets and I’ll check mine."

I try my best to reach my pockets even as my wrists are restrained. Even so, I can tell there is nothing in them. Wait no… my skirt actually doesn't have pockets. I felt myself internally scream.

“Joe, did you find-”

“It was on the floor but I got something- a key!” Joe practically screams.

“... Use it.” I hesitate. If the message was telling the truth… I might be ‘executed’. Yet, I’m sure Joe will figure it out. He’s my most trustworthy friend… sorry Ryoko. “Use the key for yourself!”

“But-” Joe stuttered, most likely thinking the same thing as me. “But- It might-”

“It’s okay! You’ll figure something out.”

I could almost feel him hesitate. Then I hear a click. My stomach tightens as a reflex but nothing happened. I sigh in relief.

Time passed painfully slowly. I could see Joe in the corner of my eye as he fidgets, trying to get me out of the contraption that I am in. Not knowing what he's doing, I feel myself become more anxious as time passed. I try not to count down the minutes to my very real death but it's hard when there is no sound except for the beeping as a timer slowly counted the time for our deaths and our shallow breaths.
Then there it is- the beautiful quiet sound as the timer stopped beeping and Joe told me that he did it- he saved me.

I don't know what to do. I'm not dead. Thank God. Thank Joe.  “Thanks."

“Of course. Can you stand?”

“Yeah…” I said, my mind slightly numb after the terrifying events. I finally got up to see Joe’s reassuring face and the device that I was on just a few seconds ago.

I inspected the room that we are stuck in. There is a door next to the device that I was strapped to. There is a chair with loose straps which I assume Joe was on before.

Before I try the door to finally leave, something catches my attention. It's a window on one of the walls. Inside it is the exact copy of our room. I can see another person strapped into the same device that is in this room and another scrambling around the room trying to figure a way to help him. The two are almost identical… except for the fact that they are opposite genders. The boy was sanding down a red key. He looked desperate.

“... Sara, what are you looking at?” Joe asked. He turns to follow my gaze. “Is that… I didn't even notice the window when I was trying to get you out.”

We both watch helplessly as the boy finally sands the key down and relief fills the little boy’s face.

“No, wait his…” Joe interjects. “It’s not the right color. His key- His key is blue. It’s supposed to be green.”

My eyes glide over to the device that I was on seconds ago. The keyhole is green. In the room, on the other side of the window, it was also green. The little boy tries jamming the blue key onto the green keyhole of the device-

Nothing happened. Tears fill up his face as he inaudibly screams to the girl on the device. The boy tried sanding the blue color down but he only manages to turn it back to its original metal state.

The next thing that happens, I could barely process it. It happened too quickly. A metallic click can be heard pulsating through the wall.

The device flinches, clamping down on the little girl.

It killed her.

Red trickles from in between the two slabs of metal from the device. A small hand hung, lifeless. The little boy had stops moving altogether.

I couldn't take my eyes away. The sight never stops, a virtual screen doesn't come apart and no one runs in the room to tell me it was all a joke, a social experiment. 

It is all real.

...The kidnapper would do that to a little girl? She looked no more than twelve.

… Is that what would’ve happened to me?
There was nothing that we could’ve done. The boy is in another room. It was… rigged.

At the thought, I can't bear to look through the window. 

I take a look at Joe. He looks just as frightened as I did. I raise a shaky hand, towards the distasteful door, breaking my eyes from the window. 

We stepped past and into the darkness ahead.

Chapter Text

There’s a slight buzzing in my ear. 

I slowly open my eyes and light blinds me. My eyesight clears and I take a careful look around me. 

There are tall walls of towering bushes knotted with vines.

It had an ominous feel to it. I felt a bit suffocated by the bushes. They were perfectly cut, in a man-made way. The blue sky above was barely a sliver and provided little light. It felt like walking in an abandoned city, overtaken by nature.

I heard a groan behind me. I turned to see Joe slowly waking up. His spiky hair had been smushed to the side.

“Joe?”

“Huh? Sara,” He turned to me and then to his surroundings. He had a weird look on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded. If he was asking about my physical state. My mental state was another situation.

"You have bed hair," I stated, trying not to snicker. Joe's hands immediately flew up to his hair to try and fluff it out. 

"Hey, so do you. M-my Hair is supposed to be messy." My own hands went up to my head to check my braids. They did feel a bit loose. That sucked. I would have to do my hair all over again and I didn't even have the right stuff-

"Are we in a maze?" Joe's tone interrupted the light atmosphere we had. The memories from earlier had hit me again. This wasn't a joke. We were kidnapped. I had almost died.

I took a look around, noticing new details with her focused mindset. He was right. 

We were surrounded by large, pine-tree sized bushes. They were cut in a perfect manner so that it would be the same rigid, flat, rectangular shape a wall would be. It was just like a maze that one would encounter in a fictional adventure story. 

Ahead of the two of us, the tall bushes had created a fork in the road. We would have to pick one side or the other.

"Should we try to get out?" Joe asked.

"Well, there's no other option."

I paused. I remember something Dad said to me once. Something about being lost and how to get out. 

I put my hand on the bush, trying to think of something. Anything. What was it that he said?

Follow…

There was a snap behind me. I turned to see Joe picking a leaf from one of the perfectly trimmed bushes. It almost hurt that he had taken a leaf outside of the freshly cut bush, it no longer being perfectly cut. The leaf he had pulled was a small round shape, the kind you’d see depicted in cartoons. 

“Are you trying to dig? Dig through the massive bushes?” I asked, somewhat mocking.

“Hey, it’s better than just sulking there.” I sigh. Maybe it’s better to just take a risk and go for it. Now the issue was which side of the fork to pick. The tall bushes had just two possible pathways. 50/50 chance of finding the right pathway out. Well, we could just backtrack but that idea was useless since behind us was just another massively tall bush dead end. 

The kidnappers seemed to like toying with us. Putting us in a scenario and seeing if we can survive. Maybe at each dead end there was some kind of trap or bomb or who-knows-what. Something that would kill us.

If only there was some easy way out like something to follow-

…Follow one side…

Finally, it hit me. I don’t know how I could’ve forgotten. Maybe it was the shock of being kidnapped or that I was drugged but I remember now. I placed a hand on the bush on the right side and started walking forward. 

“I think it’ll be fine if we stick to this side consistently,” I said. Joe nods and follows me. 

As we walk forward the feeling of walking through an abandoned maze really does come to life. If we hadn’t been kidnapped and forced to play dangerous games, this may have been a nice experience. 

The two walked in silence for a while, absolutely no sound between them. Any sound that could be found in nature was silenced and only the soft rhythmic sound of their footsteps crunching on the grass ground was barely heard. The silence had left me alone with my thoughts. I tried not to think too much about our situation.

It didn’t feel real. It felt like a game. The way the kidnappers had toyed with them, the life-and-death situations felt so surreal, I’m not sure if they had actually happened. I had only been at school a few moments ago and I was now stuck in a maze? It felt like a fever dream, one where my thoughts were less muddled and felt a whole lot more louder and realistic. 

After their prolonged moment of silence, Joe spoke up. “Hey, Sara?”

I almost let out a sigh of relief. I was glad he had interrupted my thoughts. I was inching closer to a realization I desperately didn’t want to have.

“Yes?” I replied.

“I was wondering, you know, since we were kidnapped," Joe had a serious tone, "do you think the kidnapper was your stalker?”

The possibility struck me. I wasn’t expecting the sudden serious question after maintaining a simplistic, light-hearted ambience before. My sigh of relief got stuck in my throat.

Still I considered it- was the stalker silently staring, finding a way to kidnap me? For all that time? It made me shiver. Was the stalker following her with the idea to kidnap her all along? The notion creeped her out. The situations they’ve already gone through freaked her out. Could this situation have been avoided? Sara shook her head. It’s best not to focus on what ifs…

“We should move forward. It doesn’t matter if it was my stalker or not.”

“Still, if the stalker has been planning this all along…” Joe paused. “It’s just so wrong and creepy.”

“Being kidnapped is wrong. The fact that I was stalked before just makes it worse,” I said. 

“You know what I mean,” Joe pouted. Sara laughed, purposefully trying to forget their situation. 

After what felt like an hour, we finally made it to the end of the maze. 

“There! It’s the end of the maze!” Joe runs forward. At the end, there was a bright light that felt like walking to the doors of heaven. The light was so bright compared to the dimly light inside of the maze, blinding us both.

“Hey, wait up!” I yell, chasing after Joe. 

Before I can process it, a blur of movement ahead of me crashes into Joe. The blurred figure came from another part of the maze connecting with the maze exit. Joe lets out a yelp and the other figure stops, falling over.

“Hey, what was that for- huh? Who are you?” An unfamiliar tall boy wearing an orange tank top said. 

“You crashed into me! I was just about to get out of the maze with Sara and-” Joe said, rubbing his head.

“Sara?” The tall boy said abruptly.

“Yeah, my friend.” Joe stands up, fixing his hair. “Who are you?”

“I’m Kel. Oh, sorry for running into you. I guess this weird place got me running around.” Kel rubs the back of his neck.

I walk towards them. I shouldn’t just eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Hi, did you suddenly wake up in this maze as well?” I inquire. Joe glances over at me, suspicious of Kel. I look back at him, trying to send a nonverbal message- maybe a friendly approach could let us calmly understand our situation. Joe’s expression stayed the same, confused. It didn’t look like he got the message. I internally sighed. 

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Kel said.

“I just guessed… Maybe we aren’t the only ones who were kidnapped.” I said.

“Kidnapped? You can’t be so pessimistic! This is obviously some prank or something-” Kel said, waving his hand as if he was talking about an innocuous prank that an innocent child would play. His tone was revealing. I had never seen someone so deep in denial. 

Before I could try to dig deeper, a beeping sound came from all of our pockets, including Kel. I frowned and reached into mine. I felt a thin object that wasn’t there before. I pulled out a card. On it, words were written into it.

All my information was on this card. It said my name, height, weight, and- bust size! Bust size! Are you kidding me? What other probing information did this card have?

I scanned the card profusely. There was only one piece of information I didn’t recognize.

“‘Ultimate Swordswoman’? I mean, I play kendo, but ‘Ultimate Swordswoman’?” I asked no one in particular.

“This card has all my physical test results! But it also says ‘Ultimate Basketball Player’ too.” Kel said. He had a card just like mine and it seemed to have all of his information too.

“It does have all my information on it!” Joe said, staring at his own card. “Didn’t these things also beep?”

“Woah, this prank is pretty well done that it even has beeping cards. They must’ve put a lot of work into it.” Kel said, actually sounding genuinely impressed.

“Hold up, something about this seems off- my card…” Joe grimaces. He looks up at me. Joe looks around the maze area. Was he trying to tell me something? We need to work on our non-verbal communication skills. 

“These cards are just the kidnappers messing with us! It probably doesn’t mean anything.” Joe said, interrupting himself and his own train of thought.

“Wait, what if it means we have to re-introduce ourselves, like in a TV show? After everyone meets, it shows a freeze-frame of everyone and their names.” Kel claps his hands together. “I’m Kel and I’m the Ultimate Basketball Player. It’s just a game I play with my friends but it’s cool to be considered ‘Ultimate’. I guess I was better than I thought, heh.” 

He definitely just wanted to be called Ultimate Basketball Player. 

Joe seemed reluctant to go next. Eventually, he sighed and let a small smile come onto his face.

“I guess I’ll introduce myself too. The kidnappers already know my name so it doesn't matter keeping it a secret. I’m Joe Tazuna.”

“What about your Ultimate?” Kel asked. He seemed to find this whole thing fun, contrasting Joe’s forced smile on his nervous attitude. His mannerisms had changed entirely after talking about the cards, and these ‘Ultimates’. Instead of his usual optimistic and upbeat attitude, he was reduced to a sweaty, nervous mess. 

“Um- looks like, I- uh- don’t have one. Weird, huh?” Joe said, sweating. He seemed to be more nervous than he was before. Joe turned to me.

"What about you? We should all introduce ourselves." Joe said. 

I thought he was just against it a second ago? His behavior started to concern me. 

No, I’m sure he was fine. The nerves of being in the boundaries of the unknown was just messing with his head. Admittedly, it was affecting my head too.

I cleared my voice and faced Kel and Joe with a calm smile.

"Alright. My name is Sara Chidouin. Apparently, I'm the Ultimate Swordswoman."

"Ultimate Swordswoman?! That’s such a sick title! I wish I had something like that.” Joe looks at me with admiration.

“Really? I mean, it’s just kendo…” I feel my face get warmer. 

“Woah, so you’re a real life knight.” Kel chimes in. I can’t help but laugh in response. 

A rustling noise near the maze exit caught my attention. A voice called out from the blinding light.

“Kel? Is that you?” A voice in the distance interrupts them. It was coming from the exit of the maze which I completely forgot to get out of. 

“Yeah?” Kel responds. He looked confused, after all, the voice was barely heard over the tall, thick bushes that separated the area.

A man appeared at the exit of the maze. He had a similar figure to Kel.

“So you were pulled into this too. Thank goodness I found you.” He walked towards us, lowering his voice. Looking closer, he looked similar to Kel, the biggest differences being his hair and general fashion sense. 

“Hey, Hero! I didn’t know you were part of this prank-escape room too. It’ll be even more fun with my brother.” Kel smiles and walks towards him. 

“Prank-escape room?” The ‘Hero’ person seemed unsure of what Kel was saying. He glanced at us and then to Kel. He had a doubtful look in his eyes but it quickly passed over.

“...Oh right, prank! That makes sense.” He had a warm smile. His smile almost made me want to believe his words.

But that couldn’t be it. I remember finding the house broken into and my mom passed out on the floor. I remember the goosebumps on my neck as I felt the gaze of the stalker. No escape room prank would go this far. 

"Is he your brother?" I look at Kel and the Hero guy.

“I am, I should introduce myself." Kel's brother said, somehow still holding that disarming smile. "I'm Henry but people call me ‘Hero’. It says I’m the ‘Ultimate Cook’ but I actually haven’t cooked anything in a while. I’m not really sure how I got that title, to tell the truth.”

"Hero? How'd you get that nickname?" I ask.

"Oh it's probably not what you think. I just happen to like a sandwich called Hero Sandwich and everyone started calling me that." He modestly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Are these titles just jokes then? It feels like they’re just making fun of us.” Joe said, crossing his arms.

“No way. I think my brother’s a great cook." Kel said. Hero gave him a look that neither I nor him could decipher. "Or at least was, I guess?”

“Don’t flatter me too much, Kel.” Hero said, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. He cleared his voice and his tone turned more serious.

"Kel, even if this is some prank, we have to stick together. We don’t want to get separated in a place like this.” Hero said. His smile was wiped from his face, just for a moment before returning once again.

"I guess so.” Kel looked at us. “Bye guys, I hope we can do some puzzles together!” 

I simply nod in response but my stomach curls with the same dread feeling. It would be nice to have such an optimistic way of thinking. The thought that we were inevitably kidnapped plagued my mind. If they kidnapped me along with these other people, just how many people were stalked? Was it a group of people? Where are we? 

“Hey Joe, we should try and figure out where we are. Maybe we can find a way out.” I said.

“A way out? You’re right.” Joe sighs. “I was hoping this is all a prank.”

“Me too. But that stalker…”

“Right. Let’s look around.” Joe said. We walked towards the exit of the maze. A strong light was coming out of it. I had to squint to see, and once we finally made it out of the wretched maze, I was shocked by the sight in front of me.

“A cruise ship?” I said, surprised. The long, yet slim edge of a cruise was undeniable. The soft sloshing of the water bashing into the side of the large ship was much more noticeable as we stepped out of the tall, thick bushes. It had the look of the typical glamorous cruise, with a large ship horn colored black and white.

“No way! So we’re in the middle of nowhere in the ocean?” Joe ran over to the ledge. He peered over the edge and his face turned green. He covered his mouth, his cheeks swelling.

“Urgh… I think I’m gonna be sick.” Joe grimaces. 

“Maybe there’s some seasickness pills around here?” I said, patting him on the back. 

I turned over to the rest of the cruise ship. Ignoring the fact that we were kidnapped and forcibly brought here, it was a really nice place. A large, glittering pool lay in front of me and beach chairs surrounded the area. Tall water slides were spiraling into the pool. There were special looking vending machines that were ornate with decorations. Joe waddled up next to me, holding his stomach with a covered sickened face, and was in shock alongside me.

“Were we really kidnapped and placed in a place like this?” Joe said, still covering his mouth. “This looks more like a dream or a paradise or something.”

I was speechless myself. It really did seem like a dream-like paradise. 

“Though, maybe not for you, since you don’t know how to swim.” Joe teased.

“I think I can settle with being the Ultimate Swordswoman.” I said. 

“No fair… I knew you were an expert at kendo. You’re too modest.” Joe said, with the slight tone of innocuous jealousy.

“Come one, are you sure you didn’t get some kind of Ultimate either? Like…” I looked at Joe. “Ultimate Gaudy guy? Or Ultimate Fashionista?”

“Hey, my fashion sense isn’t that far out there. I mean, that guy is more gaudy.” Joe points to the opposite side of the pool.

A boy with blonde-bleached hair slouched over himself while extending his arms in some kind of desperate movement. His arms flailed around as he held a phone in his hands. 

“There’s no signal at all! What the hell?” A blonde-haired boy yells. He was filled with anger as he shouted at random things. He wore a black school jacket over a blaring yellow shirt and plaid pants. He looked like a high schooler.

“I don’t know, his style kind of seems like yours.” 

“What? Really…?” Joe looked at himself with a troubled look. I giggled at his reaction as he seemed so affected by something so minor like the way he looked.

I was about to reassure him before doing a double take at the blond guy. So there were more people here, other than Kel and Hero? It would make sense considering the size of the cruise. Now that I thought of it, the cruise looked awfully empty with only us aboard it. 

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves to him? He could have a clue as to why we’re here.”

“True.” Joe nods and we head towards the blonde guy.

“Hey, any chance-”

“Who are you guys?! Are you the kidnappers? I know how to fight, you know-” He said, raising a shaky fist.

“No, of course no! No, we just woke up on this cruise. ” Joe raises his hands as if he was held at gunpoint.

“Woke up… Were you guys kidnapped too?” His frown slightly softens.

“Yeah, just like you. Unless you’re the kidnapper-”

“Wha- no!” He cleared his throat. “I may look like a punk but I’m not one. I swear!”

“Do you mind introducing yourself?” I ask.

“Fine. Name’s Ryuji Sakamoto. I guess I’m the…” Ryuji pulls out a card from his jacket-pocket.

“Ultimate Track Runner?”

“Though, I'm not on the track team anymore …”

“Seriously? Maybe I don’t have to worry about my Ultimate so much then.” Joe slumps.

“What’s your Ultimate then?” Ryuji asks. 

"...Don't got one." Joe deadpanned.

"Oh." Ryuji said. "That sucks, man." The two seemed to share a sympathetic look for a moment.

"Anyways, I'm Sara and this here is Joe. I'm the Ultimate Swordswoman."

"For real!? That's one sick title." Ryuji said. "Unfair if you ask me. I bet I could've gotten one just as cool."

"That's what I said! Um, the first part, not the last part." Joe said, almost in a modest manner.

"...Welp, I'm gonna go investigate around. This cruise stuff is all so weird. Doesn't make sense." Ryugi glanced between us and the paradise-like surrounding. 

Joe blinked. "Oh, right- I think we should probably do that too." 

"This whole thing does make me sick…" I murmured, but just loud enough for Joe to hear. He gave me a worried glance but my wary smile seemed to calm him for now.

"Right… Then, see ya' around." Ryugi turned on his feet and walked away in a slouch and hands in his pockets. For someone who wasn't a punk, he sure walked like one. 

I glanced around the pool area. Even though this place was grandly huge, it simply wasn't the size of a cruise that I would imagine.

"Hey Sara, have you ever been on a cruise before?" Joe suddenly asked, almost as if he read my mind. He still seemed sick but he held onto the railing as tight as he could. "I've been wondering… Cruises ships belong to companies, right? So, maybe if we figure out which company-"

"You're right." I stood straight. It was a clue, a hint. Something that could finally help us. "I have been on a few cruises before. My dad's work required it. And this cruise doesn't seem familiar in the slightest. So if we look over the edge, the company's name should be imprinted on the side of the cruise."

Joe gave a small nod and leaned towards the edge. Unfortunately, the railing wasn't nearly as high enough to catch a stumbling Joe. Joe's eyes flickered towards the vast blue ocean below and his own face gradually turned to a shade of blue as he slowly tilted towards the edge. 

I panicked for a second and quickly placed a stabilizing hand on Joe's shoulder. "I should look instead, you look like you're about to faint."

"Mm… I've never been on a cruise before… not even a boat." Joe looked at me, that same worried look on his face. "How are you not scared? Is Miss 'Ultimate Swordswoman' too tough for the ocean?" He laughed to himself over the obvious wave of sickness and cold sweat.

I laughed alongside him, but I was hardly filled with joy. 

Of course I was terrified. This whole situation seemed almost helpless and a mere highschooler seemed absolutely useless in comparison. What the hell did Ultimate Swordsman mean if I don't have to swing a sword? 

"Of course I'm not scared! Just be confident, even in times where it seems like everything is caving down on you. Just smile." I said.

He gazed at me for a moment, trying to decipher what exactly I meant. He seemed to search for something deeper, past my smile, but a glance down the steep edge of the cruise switched his face into an expression of sickness. He stepped back, away from the edge, and smiled at me.

"You're right. Yeah…" His face was still a slight sick blue but Joe stood up straight and smiled brighter.

 "It's like you've become more optimistic lately. You're so weird, Sara." Joe said, laughing afterwards at the irony of it.

I can't help but laugh alongside him. I know that I just told a blatant lie. 

I had to. I had to be optimistic in this place. In place of Joe.

…He was acting weird. Something in me told me he was supposed to be more upbeat and cheery than this. He still was, to some degree, although something was clearly bothering him. I had no idea what it was, and it felt like asking was useless.

I took a deep breath and leaned towards the railing. A clue is a clue. As I leaned on the railing, the weight of the pressure suddenly hit me. The steepness of the cruise was much sharper than I thought, and the pool deck was a lot higher than I expected. I couldn't even see my own shadow on the water. It was thrashed around in the drowning waves of the ocean, morphing what seemed like a shadow to another part of the ocean.

I gulped and looked at the cliff made of steel below me. I strained my eyes to spot anything but it was impossible to recognize any kind of symbol or words that could've been imprinted on the side of the cruise. The only thing I could decipher was the stark contrast between black and white.

"Strange isn't it? I had the same idea as you but couldn't seem to see anything," a calm voice said behind me. 

"Yes, wait-" My head shot to the direction of the voice. "Who are you- When did you get here?"

"I got here when I got kidnapped." The green-haired boy seemed too calm for someone who was kidnapped. He had multiple piercings and a pleasing sense of style. 

"So no clues and another kidnapped person, huh…?" Joe said. "... kidnapee ? Is that how you say it?"

“Yup.” The young man smiled. It seemed like a smile done merely on habit, one done to make people trust you.

Joe glanced at me before hesitantly smiling brightly back at him. I smiled on instinct but something felt off about the guy in front of us. 

"I am Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Traveler. I promise I’m not a bad guy. Nice to meet you."

“I do travel often, I suppose.” Rantaro rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s fun and all, but I wouldn’t call it my talent.” Rantaro's face suddenly darkened out of nowhere. "Sometimes it does seem as if our Ultimates don't represent us in the slightest. As if we were entirely different, convoluted people behind the mask of our titles."

"I doubt the Ultimate titles are that deep." Joe said. Yet, as Rantaro said those words, I felt the same dreaded feeling in my stomach. It's almost as if he saw through my life earlier. Was he eavesdropping when I was talking to Joe about that whole smile thing? 

No, that can't be. I'm probably just being paranoid. All I did was cheer up Joe a bit.

“However, there is something strange about this cruise ship,” Rantaro gestured towards the edge of the ship, “There are no rescue boats on the side of the ship.”

I glanced over the edge of the ship once more and said, “You’re right. Every other cruise ship I’ve been on has had a multitude of rescue ships.”

“I’m sure this can mean a whole variety of things,” Rantaro glanced at Joe’s ill expression, “but it’s best not to discuss it now. I’m sure there’s another place for it.”

Joe still persisted and looked at Rantaro to avoid looking at the edge. 

"-Have you seen the others? Just how many people are kidnapped?" Joe asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"I wouldn't know. I just got out of the maze and came here. It seems that everyone is coming out of there at different times." Rantaro said, shrugging. 

"Oh, thanks though-," 

"There was somebody that did stand out to me," Rantaro abruptly said, interrupting Joe. "Something about him seemed off."

"Who?” Joe asked.

“Him.” Rantaro turned towards the other side of the deck. He was looking at an empty area composed of beach chairs and tacky umbrellas. 

“There’s no one there- Holy shit, I see him now,” Joe exclaimed.

I looked back at the same spot and narrowed my eyes. There was a small movement under the shadow of the umbrella. A man with a dark look was staring right back at me. I felt my heart drop.

“Wh-who is that?” I said, a voice crack splitting my question.

“I tried approaching him earlier, but he disappeared,” Rantaro said with a dark look.

“You think…he’s the kidnapper? Some kinda ninja? You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

“Not exactly. I know he isn’t the kidnapper.” Rantaro looked back at us. “I’m telling you now, avoid that man. He’s bad news.”

Rantaro gave us one more glance before returning his calming smile. He suddenly waved us goodbye and left, not even trying to elaborate on what he meant.

Joe turned to me and his sick expression seemed to return. "I don't trust Rantaro either."

"I don't know. He doesn't seem to know about this place anymore than we do." I said, doubting my own words.

"That’s exactly what I mean, it’s a bit suspicious. I think he has some kind of secret or something." Joe looked at me with cold sweat on his face. "Everyone here could be lying to us. We can't trust anyone yet."

"...I think you need to rest. Maybe it's best if you sit down for a bit. I'll look for medicine." I smiled gently. Joe isn't the type to start doubting everything.

"It's not the seasickness- Sorry, I know I'm being a bit hard headed but please…" Joe smiled but the tint of blue was still showing on his face, "just be wary, Sara."

"Alright then. I’ll be careful. I'm sure there's medicine around here somewhere…" I walked away. 

I surveyed the pool area once again. Joe sat behind me on one of the many beach chairs littered around. Colorful umbrellas provided some kind of shade. Hopefully that aided Joe's seasickness to a degree. 

Other than that, the pool area had only a few people around, the people we already met. Still, there was more to the cruise to explore. I walked with purpose as I examined the area. A glass door on the far side was the entrance to what seemed to be the inside of the cruise. 

I walked over, walking quickly with spikes of anxiety in my back. It led to an indoor area but not much could be seen through the tinted glass. I pressed my hand on the glass and was surprised to find that it was cool to the touch. I pulled the door open and two things first came into my mind-

A prisoner and child should not be near each other. 

The two people inside the room looked up at me.

"There's more people here?" The prisoner said. A cracked mask covered the prisoner's face, making me distrust them even more. The dark eye holes gave the man a creepy look and I almost took a step back in fear alone.

"Are you a prisoner?" I ask, my curiosity forcing the question. I should have been worried about my safety but the prisoner had handcuffs on.

"No-" the not-prisoner looked at himself. "-Okay, I know what it looks like but I'm innocent. I had no… malicious intent."

"...But that's what every prisoner says." I remark automatically, even if I barely understood what he meant by that.

He sighed. "I felt like you were going to say that." 

The boy I saw seems disinterested in the conversation with a blank face. Yet, he stared at me. My eyes went wide when I made the connection- all the bandages slung over his eye and strung around his head and a prisoner. His hospital gown didn't relieve my distress.

"What- d-did you hurt him?!" I blurted out. I worryingly glimpse at the boy and walk over to him. He takes a step back, wary. He didn't trust me. I suppose it made sense in this situation. I look him in the eyes, but his eyes seem to see through me, as if I wasn't there to him.

"He was like that when I got here, I promise you, I didn't do anything." The prisoner argued. "Plus, I have these things," he lifted his handcuffed arms, "I can't do anything either way. Not that I wanted to in the first place."

The boy glimpses at the prisoner before slightly nodding. However the knot of worry in me still stays.

"...Sorry, I misinterpreted the situation." I sighed. The paranoia was getting to me. Joe had a point, yet the idea that everyone here was untrustworthy and had malicious intentions just seemed like it would put me in worse situations. 

"I get it. It looks like I'm a prisoner. Anyone would think that." The man said. It was still hard not to see him as a prisoner when he was wearing an orange jumpsuit with a small number imprinted on it. The creepy-looking mask didn't help much either. It was probably best not to ask much more of that. Still, his manner of speaking was such a great contrast compared to the beaten looking prison uniform. He talked with respectful manners and seemed so nice. "The prosthetic doesn't really help either," he said, practically reading my mind. I tried not to look embarrassed.

"Sorry- again." Prosthetic? If he was referring to his mask, that just about made everything I said worse.

"No worries. How about we introduce ourselves as an apology. It's a weak apology but it's something, I guess." He shrugged. "People call me Sally Face."

He looked at me, with some kind of hesitant stance. 

"At least we can have a fresh start. I don't know you and you don't know me. So… yeah." 

"Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Sara Chidouin, Ultimate Swordswoman."

"That's one sick title. Where'd you get it?" Sally asks. I can't help but let a small smile reach my face when people compliment it.

"On the card I found in my pocket," I pulled out the card from my pocket, "-it has all sorts of information about me. It's creepy how much they know."

"Oh, the beeping card. I thought that was some weak tease on how I’m a prisoner or something along those lines." Sally said with a strain on his voice. He looked at his handcuffed hands.

"Not like I can grab it and look at it anyways. These handcuffs limit me to the point where I can barely even wave." Sally demonstrated what he meant and did a strained wave at me that looked more like he was struggling to break free. "I guess I'll never know my 'Ultimate.'"

"How about you?" I turn to the boy. He takes a second blankly staring at me before reaching for a card from the inside of his hospital gown. I was pretty sure hospital gowns didn't have pockets. He looked up at me with his eye. I wasn't sure if he was going to answer at all. There was a long pause until he finally spoke up.

"...Ultimate Violinist. Sunny."

"Sunny?" I said, mostly to myself. It was almost ironic how little the name matched the boy. "Nice to meet you."

The boy nodded slightly but his expression remained blank. 

I was curious as to why he was in a hospital gown, but I had a feeling he wouldn't answer me… he seemed so quiet.

Then, I remembered why I came here in the first place.

"Before I leave, any chance you've seen medicine?" I asked.

"I haven't seen any. This place is just a laundromat. Just a bunch of warm towels laying around." Sally said.

I frowned slightly, a bit disappointed.

“-But there is a door behind all these towels,” Sally said, pushing towels aside to reveal a white door that matched the color of the white walls. It was almost perfectly camouflaged, hidden in plain sight. “I happened to run across when I was looking for any kind of hint about what and where we are… this whole situation is strange.”

He murmured something about a game boy that seemed a bit out of place here. 

I thought about going inside but I didn’t want to leave Joe, sick, all alone for too long. He needed to rest. Still, I was already getting uneasy for leaving him alone for all this time, and I’ll admit I didn’t want to be alone either. I’ll come back later with Joe.

"Thanks anyways." I nodded and turned to leave.

I sighed to myself for what felt like the millionth time. My search was practically useless. I can only hope for another place in which I would coincidentally run into some medicine. What was I even thinking? Why would the kidnapper leave any medicine to help us? They were just toying with us. Giving me false hope, hope I knew would most likely never lead me anywhere, yet any sliver of hope is what prevented me from the darker, spiraling thoughts. 

"...Wait," Sunny said. I barely heard him, his voice close to a whisper. His voice nearly made me jump. Even though I had already heard it before, it was strange to hear his somewhat mature voice coming from the small boy. "...I found some."

My head turned towards him. My eyes widened with hope. Sunny stuck out his hand, holding a round pill box. A small paper was attached to it with miniature words.

"Oh… Thanks." I smiled at Sunny and he turned away. I wasn't sure if he was simply disinterested or embarrassed. I study the pill box closely. The words 'painkiller' seemed to repeat in the long paragraph written on the small piece of paper.

I wasn't sure if painkillers would help Joe or not. I hardly had any experience in medicine, and I wasn't taking any fancy medical classes. I was deeply grateful either way, at least there was medicine of some kind. I stuff the medicine in my jacket pocket. 

So far, this cruise had a large and extravagant pool area and a quaint laundromat. The indoor part of this floor in the cruise still seemed a bit small for the usual size of a cruise. 

Just as I think that, I hear a scuffling sound to my left. Under the mounds of towels, another door is wide open, revealing a man holding a rope inside. He stares at the rope with dead eyes, examining every little detail. He just looked… so bored. His face was relaxed as he turned to look at me, no hint of alarm in his face. 

With a closer look at him, I realized he was the same man who Rantaro had warned me about. He had the same look in his eyes.

Yet, his uniform indicated that he was just a high school student. He was wearing a high school uniform. How did I not notice before? 

"Uh, Hello." I said, not really knowing what to say. "I'm Sara Chidouin. I'm the Ultimate Swordswoman."

He looked at me, taking that as new information. I stared back at him, but he didn't move an inch. All I could do was take in his appearance as it was etched into my brain.

I knew nothing about this boy at all. But the way his eyes looked so dead and lifeless started to creep me out. 

He opens his mouth, trying to say something but no sound comes out. He slightly frowns in irritation. 

"...Are you unable to speak?" I asked.

He inhaled and sighed, pointing at his neck.

There was a red scar precisely slashed across his neck, like a cross, in the middle of his throat. They were such straight lines that I had a hard time thinking that this scar was an accident. The skin surrounding the marks was still red, as if whatever had caused the marks to appear was done recently.

"That thing on your neck," I pointed at his neck, "did the kidnappers do that?"

He stared at me. He blinked and then he nodded. 

I introduced myself, I knew he was also kidnapped, and he couldn’t speak. There was an awkward silence between us as I didn’t know what else to say. My eyes wandered to the surroundings. There were plenty of supplies such as ropes, gardening tools, gloves, shovels, even a rifle. It just seemed like a storage shed in someone’s backyard. I didn’t understand why there would be a need for gardening tools if-

My eyes did a double take on the rifle. An entire gun was just stashed in the back of this room? The kidnapper knew about this gun and left it there. This gun could have so much dangerous potential, far too much potential to just leave in the open like this. If this gun was in the wrong hands, the situation would be mad and so many people could get hurt. 

I had no idea how to handle a gun, but if it went unsupervised… the mere thought made my stomach twist in dread. A gun in the hands of a stranger. My life in the hands of a stranger.

I stepped towards it and the boy stepped in front of me, stopping me. I blinked in confusion. He blinked back at me with those same dead eyes. His eyes flickered down to his own pocket and his hand reached inside. He took something out of his pocket, a curved metallic box. He flipped it towards me to show that it was empty on the inside. 

“What is that?”

His lip twitched and he pointed with his thumb back at the gun as I connected the dots. It was the gun’s magazine. The gun had no bullets. It was useless. My body relaxed with relief. I didn’t even know if I was ready to hold the gun. I don’t know what I was thinking. 

I glimpsed back at the tinted doors. 

“I uh, have to go. Nice to meet you.” I bowed quickly before walking outside of the storage room. 

I pause for a second, taking a peek at the strange boy. He doesn't stop staring at me, sending chills down my spine. With that monotonous face, he could say the most outrageous thing and make it sound nonchalant. 

He could lie easily too, I realize. He couldn't simply emptied out the bullets from the magazine into his pockets, all secretive-like and I would be none the wiser. 

No, no, there's no reason for me to believe there are bullets in the first place. I'll just stay alongside everyone. A crowd would scare a shooter away, right?

I grip the edge of my skirt, pushing against the door. As I walk past it,  heading to the pool, I hear hysterical yelling. Looking through the tinted glass, Everything outside was a blur of colors. The door creaks loudly as I slowly push it open, yet the sound hardly interrupts the yelling.

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? I’M NOT THE KIDNAPPER!” A pink-haired girl holds a bat with nails turned outwards defensively.

"I SAW IT! You brought that guy here!" a familiar blonde boy yelled. I squinted, trying to tell who it was. He pointed towards a twig of a man with a thick scarf wrapped around his neck and beanie over his bright blue hair. He looked at the other two angrily yelling at each other with an anxious look.

That Ryugi guy was accusing the girl with the spiked bat of being the kidnapper?

"EHH? Him? I don't even know that guy!" The pink-haired girl said.

"EXACTLY!" 

“WHAT???”

The two continued to loudly argue as a sickly looking Joe cautiously dragged himself towards the two.

"Hey, guys, accusing each other wildly isn't getting anywhere," Joe glimpses at the pink haired girl, "and I'm sure violence isn't the answer. Maybe some trust would-"

"WILDLY?" She turned towards Joe and her spiked bat followed, nearly decapitating Joe. "You think this is wild? I'll show you wild."

"Geh- I'll take a step back." Joe inches away from her with a hand on his stomach. "... I'll watch from back here." He murmured.

He glanced around the pool and his eyes landed on me.

"Sara, please help me! The Ryugi guy is fighting with some pink punk." Joe called desperately.

"Sara? You're the Ultimate Swordswoman, right?" Ryugi looks at me with determination in his eyes. "Do your sword thing! She's the kidnapper!"

The beanie guy looks at me, an expression of fear flashing across his face. It was almost like he recognized me, but I have never seen him before. And why would he be scared of me?

The pink-haired punk looks at me and scoffs. 

"What use is a swordswoman without a sword?" The girl looked me up and down in a demeaning manner. I opened my mouth to speak but I was quickly interrupted.

"You don't have a sword?!" Ryugi exclaimed. "For real?!"

"Of course not, do you see her with any kind of sheath?" The punk rolls her eyes, still gripping the bat tightly.

"It's true, I have no sword-" I start but I don’t know what to say next. I have no idea how to fix this. Even if Joe was counting on me, it doesn’t mean anything if I’m just helplessly watching. I rub my sides, trying to build the simple confidence to make them talk it out. 

"Hey… she didn't kidnap me. Maybe you judged her based on her appearance?" The beanie guy speaks up, an awkward smile on his face. 

The pink-haired girl turned around so fast, flinching after hearing him talk. The frown that was deeply etched into her face lessened slightly after hearing his statement. She scoffs again, frowning once again. Did something about the beanie guy set her off somehow?

The beanie guy turned his head, looking at me expectantly with a worried face. He lowers his voice. “You seem like a responsible kind of person. Do you know how to smooth things over?”

I looked back at him with a questionable look. I glanced at everyone who was now looking at me, all of them expecting something. What did they want me to do? I was just a high school girl. I try to smile and lift my head.

“How about we introduce ourselves to reduce suspicions? That usually helps.” I said cheerfully but it didn’t feel that way. Everyone looks in between themselves with questioning glances. They don’t say anything for a while, no one is willing to say anything or reveal anything about themselves. Each person had dark suspicion in their eyes, the entire situation creating unease. Presumptive accusations were thrown around with the mere flick of their eyes. 

Even Joe had that dark look on his face. I’ve only ever seen that expression on his face whenever we talked about my stalker. 

Maybe… maybe I was looking too much into it, but Joe’s expression had a hint of deeply-rooted fear, far worse than anyone else’s in the pool deck. His hands trembled and his eyes seemed shaky. His face was covered in sweat.

No, I’m sure it was just my imagination. Either way, Joe said he was seasick. He would be alright in the end. 

I stepped forward and cleared my throat. Everyone turned to me once again. I was walking to the center of a court to defend myself. I pushed down the nervousness in my throat.

“I can start. I’m Sara Chidouin, the Ultimate Swordswoman.” 

“But you have no sword-” Ryugi began.

“My name is Joe Tazuna. Sara and I both woke up in this place after some guy kidnapped us,” Joe spoke up. I smiled at him, glad for his support.

“And what’s your ultimate?” The beanie guy asked. Joe glanced away and scratched the back of his neck, sweating.

“Well, I don’t have one.”

“How strange. Everyone else seems to have one,” the beanie guy pressed on. “At least, the people I’ve asked here had one.”

“How about you introduce yourself then? You’re the most suspicious guy here.” Joe squints at him.

“Me? Suspicious? I’ve never thought I gave off that kind of feeling, but I suppose I can see where you’re coming from.” He pulled down on his scarf, showing a timid smile. “My name is Shin Tsukimi.”

“I’m just a job-hopper, but I do have a side hobby. Apparently it was enough to make me the Ultimate Hacker.” Shin grimaced slightly. “I’ve never done anything illegal though. I just like programming.”

I give him the friendliest smile I can muster. “Nice to meet you, Shin.” 

“Nice to meet you too, Miss Sara.” 

Miss Sara? Did I seem that responsible that he addresses me so? 

Joe still had a doubtful look in his eyes, but he seemed to let his guard down slightly. 

“Nice to meet ya too, I guess.”

Shin nodded in response.

Everything seemed to be going so well. My smile along with Shin’s gave the atmosphere a more light-hearted feeling. People had less of a doubtful look now. A sliver of hope was starting to appear in their eyes. 

It was Ryugi’s turn.

“The name’s Ryugi. It says I’m the Ultimate Track Runner but I don’t really run that much anymore. I do a lot of, erm, volunteer work instead of track now-a-days.”

“What, community hours?” The pink haired punk remarked ironically. “You really help people?”

"What, I don’t do- ugh, no I’ve never done anything that illegal. Of course I help people, after all, I am part of the Phantom Thieves." Ryugi stood proudly for a moment before his face flashed with guilty panic. "Oh shit, did I really just say that?'

"What are the Phantom Thieves? Some kinda gang?"

"You really don't know who the phantom Thieves are?" He looked at her incredulously. "Everyone in the world knows about us- er- them."

She simply gave Ryugi a judgemental look, making Ryugi embarrassed for even introducing himself. 

“How about you?” Joe asks, facing the pink-haired punk.

She glimpsed at him. The pink-haired punk eyed everyone with suspicion. The swift glances at everyone, the stiff hand on her bat, it all looked like a defense mechanism more than anything else to me. As she scanned all of us, her tense posture started to relax. Her eyes had the most hope out of everyone, but the distrust in her face didn’t waver.

“...I still don’t trust you guys. You can be lying. Pretending to be one of the kidnapped,” she said, but it sounded like she was only trying to convince herself.

Then, three people came out of the tainted glass doors. I easily recognized them as Hero, Kel, and Sunny. Sunny looked so short compared to the tall brothers, He walked right behind Kel who had the same bright smile as before. They all seemed close, although Sunny’s eyes seemed distant. 

“So I was thinking it would be cool if we could invite Basil after everything that happened- Oh hi Aubrey! I didn’t know you were here either. It’s like our whole friend group again, wow,” Kel said loudly from the other side of the pool area.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Aubrey hissed at him. Her eyes fell on the other two and recognition befell her face. “Hero? Sunny? You guys too?”

“Hey, Aubrey. I didn’t know you were here too,” Hero said, a stagnant smile on his face.

“No, no, no, why are you guys here?” Aubrey cursed under her breath. “You guys were just fine. You were safe.”

“What are you talking about Aubrey?” Kel tilts his head. “We’re fine though.”

“Th-there was this First Trial, and they told me you were all safe. They said you were safe!” Aubrey’s breathing started to quicken and became shallow. 

“Aubrey, we’re all okay. Take deep breaths,” Hero crouched beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she flinched. Kel blinked in confusion, not knowing what he said wrong. 

“Yeah, Aubrey, we’re all okay!” Kel said, clearly trying to follow Hero’s lead by the way he glanced at Hero and smiled at Aubrey. Sunny watched the three of them with a wide eye. I couldn’t tell what was going through his head at all.

Aubrey attempted to do as Hero said. Hero breathes deeply while Aubrey looks at him, following his movements. Finally, she calms down and looks at her friends before looking at everyone watching her. Her eyes are still wide with uneasiness but she seemed to be much more peaceful with Hero’s presence. It was possible that Kel and Sunny’s presences may have made her retract her aggressive approach. 

“...Did you get that from…” Aubrey trailed off, presumably asking about the way Hero had soothed her panic.

“Yeah,” Hero said, his smiling wavering for a split second. “We’re all a bit on edge. I’m sure we can work this out.”

“Yeah!” Kel agreed. “...like an escape room, right?”

“Um, about that Kel-” 

“So your name is Aubrey?” Ryugi butts his head in, finding her a bit more approachable after she recovered from the short panic attack. Aubrey scowled at him in response. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“...Whatever. I’ll say it. My name is Aubrey. I’m the Ultimate Delinquent.”

“I would say nice to meetcha’ but it wouldn’t be true,” Ryugi said.

“Hey, Aubrey’s a bit of a jerk, but she’s a good person!” Kel shouts back.

“Shut up Kel!” 

“What? But I was tryna help-”

The two of them continued to bicker as Ryugi sat on a chair. He seemed to be unsure of himself. 

Now that most of the commotion was over, I turned to Joe. He seemed to have gotten even more sickly than the last time I saw him. I hurried over towards him. 

“Joe, I didn’t get the chance to give you these earlier but-”

Suddenly, A loud static buried the sounds of everyone talking. A much louder noise atop of the status noise screeched throughout the cruise. Everyone simultaneously reached for their ears, pressing against their ears with all their will. 

“HELLO AND WELCOME TO SOMNIUM CRUISE! I AM THE CONDUCTOR AND I WISH YOU ALL TO MEET IN THE BALLROOM ON FLOOR 5 IN… 10 MINUTES! THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PUHUHUHU…” The voice was annoyingly high-pitched and was sickly sweet.

And I recognized the voice. It was the same one that announced the instructions in the First Trial. It was the kidnapper’s voice. He had the same annoying laugh too.

"Ballroom?"

"What's floor 5?"

"Was that the kidnapper?!"

People started talking over themselves, the announcement mostly confusing everyone rather than directing them. 

"Floor 5… do you think maybe this is the deck and below is floor 5?" Joe said.

"Yeah, I think so," I said. "At least, I think you're right. Maybe we can get to floor 5 through there."

I pointed at the tinted window doors. Behind that room was a laundromat where I had met Sunny, Sally Face, and the creepy high schooler. There wasn't much else other than towels and storage room with a rifle, but it was worth double checking. 

"Should we follow what the kidnapper says?" Joe said.

"Probably. I'm afraid of what might happen if we don't."

Joe gulped and nodded. He didn't look nearly as ill as he did in the beginning but the hue of blue was evident. The painkillers would have to wait. We headed over to the laundry room. Sally Face nor Sunny was here. Unlike when I visited it before, clean towels were thrown all over the place as if someone had searched through the place thoroughly. It was as if a tsunami of white towels had flooded the room. 

The hidden door from before was wide open, revealing a dimly lit hallway. 

"There might be stairs on the other side of the room," I said.

"Or an elevator, at least." Joe added.

I go in front as we cautiously walk inside. Each light blinks and focuses on me, watching my every move. I felt the kidnapper's eyes on my back. They were watching me. 

The hallway is plain; a flat white wallpaper is cleanly pasted on the walls. There were no doorways in the hallway, until we reached a wider area with two pairs of metal elevator doors on each side. 

Joe immediately goes to click the button on the wall. He goes back next to me, waiting impatiently. We shut our mouths in anticipation.

The numbers above the elevator light up a bright 5. An arrow lights up next to it, signifying that the elevator was rising to our level. A constant beeping noise makes my heart beat faster. I can hear it getting louder, quicker or perhaps it's just the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. 

It beeps one last time, a happy chirp-like sound as the number switches to 6 and the arrow disappears. The elevator takes a breath and sluggishly opens its doors. A man in a white collared shirt appears before us. His eyes flicker between me and Joe, having a look of controlled surprise.

Was he the kidnapper?  

The thought intruded on my mind without warning. He was a normal guy, just like the rest of us. But the kidnapper was a man too. How could I forget the figure of the stalker that followed me nearly every day. 

Yet, anyone could be the stalker that kidnapped Joe and I. It was difficult to find the medium between trust and doubt as I faced so many strangers in this completely foreign place. 

Joe stepped back in instinct.

“Were you two kidnapped as well?” The man asked suddenly, but it was more of a rhetorical question. “That makes 17 kidnapees, including me.”

“Kidnapees?” Joe blinked. “So that is how you say it.”

“Yes, it is.” He stared at both of us with an inquisitive stance. 

“Oh, we should probably introduce ourselves like we did for everyone else, right? I’m Sara Chidouin. The Ultimate Swordswoman.”

“I’m Joe. Tazuna.”

He looked between us, recognizing the fact that it was his turn. Still, he waited a second. It was as if he was analyzing the way we would react, trying to figure out the way our brains ticked. 

“...Of course. I’m Light Yagami. The Ultimate Academic,” Light said, the edges of his lips creased to make a smile. “It looks like we’re all in a bad situation right now.”

“Then why are you smiling?” Joe said accusingly. 

“It’s no use trying to have an aggressive outlook. There are cases where hostages have worked together and escaped from their abductor.” He glanced at me. “You seem to be the kind of person that could make that happen.”

“Me?” I said, flustered. I wasn’t expecting him to say that in the slightest. I was a mess of unease shoddily covered by a smile. “I suppose- thank you?”

He simply nodded and waved for us to enter the elevator. The elevator was starting to beep, after all, and I didn't want to force any machines in this strange cruise past its limits. Joe and I hurried inside. Light was standing in the corner and he clicked a button on the inside of the elevator.

It was a relatively small elevator, most likely being able to fill eight people if they were all pressed against each other. However, with just three people inside, it felt a bit clustered and suffocating. There wasn't much space to move or run away. If Light were to try anything, I would helplessly fall victim to it. I inched away as far as I could from Light without taking away too much space from Joe. Still, I could hear Joe's alarmed breaths behind me.

That's when I noticed something strange about the elevator buttons.

"Were those buttons always missing?" I pointed to three circular empty holes. Above those, there were two buttons with the same shape with the numbers 5 and 6 on it, presumably for the floor it would go to. 

"When I entered, they were missing." Light squinted at the holes. "It seems as if the presumed kidnapper doesn't want us to go to these other floors. The emergency staircase was also blocked off by some kind of electronic lock device."

"Electronic lock? Like in the movies?”

“In a way, yes. It’s blocked by bars and I noticed that it was conducting electricity. However, it doesn’t have any kind of place to unlock it. No keyhole of any kind. I’m not familiar with the model either.” Light said. “It’s almost as if the staircase was built to have those bars.”

“That is strange…” I said, pondering on what that could have meant for us. 

The elevator beeped again, reaching the 5th floor. The doors glided open, revealing a solemn hallway, having a worse ambience than the one from the 6th floor. 

But, a light shined brightly on the end of the hallway. It was a god-like beam of light, like a light shining in the dark. I squinted my eyes to get a better look and it seemed like… a person?

The three of us walked towards the light, and the first thing we noticed was that there were multiple doors in the hallway. As we walked towards the light, we tried all of them but, alas, they were all locked. 

Eventually we got to the… stunning light source- a girl. She turned to us slowly, her eyes opening and closing gently, beautiful lashes flowing as she blinked.

“Hello, Nice to meet you,” said the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Her voice was so angelic that it nearly made my heart skip a beat. It was soft and sweet, a perfect tune for my ears. “Were you heading for the ballroom as well?”

“Oho,” Joe said, covering his mouth.

“Oho,” I said.

“Oh,” Light said nonchalantly, “Nice to meet you too.”

How did Light recover so fast?! I cleared my throat and bowed slightly.

“N-nice to meet you as well. Um, we were heading to the ballroom too.”

“We should introduce ourselves though, right? So we aren’t strangers, of course. No other reason, haha.” Joe looked away. I shot him a glance. He better not have forgotten Ryoko, his actual girlfriend.

Light looked at us in poorly hidden disdain. 

"I'm Light Yagami. The Ultimate Academic."

"Ah, so you're very intelligent? That's very admirable," she said, her smile flashing throughout the room. 

"You seem to be highly intelligent as well, if I say so myself," Light added.

"Oh, thank you, but I'm sure I have an... average thinking capacity," she turned to Joe. "What about you? I'm sure you have a stunning Ultimate as well.

"Ahah. My name is Joe Tazuna. And I- erm-"

“Do you mind hurrying up? We have to go to the ballroom.” A boy’s monotone voice said.

I turned my head and I just noticed that there was a pink-haired boy standing there the entire time. I didn’t sense him at all. His presence was entirely snuffed out by the shining beauty of the girl.

“Oh I completely forgot to introduce my classmate. His name is Saiki Kusuo. He said he didn’t have an Ultimate talent, but I’d say he's probably the Ultimate Average person,” she said, smiling with light humor. Saiki only slightly nodded in response.

 I could've sworn the slightest color of red was warming up on her cheeks but her voice didn't have any hints of being flustered or embarrassed. It must've been my imagination, as her perfect porcelain skin was just the tiniest bit of a rosy color at her cheeks. 

“Thank goodness, I’m not the only one without an Ultimate.” Joe sighed in relief.

"You don't have one?" She repeated, tilting her head. The blood disappeared from Joe's face, fearing he had disappointed her. "That's alright, mine isn't that big of a deal either."

"What is it?" I asked, leaning in anticipation.

"Well, I'm Teruhashi Kokomi and I'm the Ultimate Aesthete."

I honestly thought she might've been the Ultimate Beauty. 

"Oh that's… interesting." Joe nodded, pretending to know what that meant. 

"If I remember correctly, it is someone that can expertly appreciate and understand the meaning of beauty," Teruhashi said, reading Joe's expression with pinpoint accuracy, yet responding in a thoughtfully modest way.

"I can totally see that," I said. "I mean, I'm sure you're good at your talent."

"Thank you! That means a lot." Her smile seemed to radiate threefold after having said that. I had to squint just to appreciate her beauty.

I simply nod in response. I might've nodded too much. My statement was a little dumb-sounding too.

"I think that just proves that you are rather highly intelligent in order to have such a stunning Ultimate talent," Light added. "But I suppose I still know you far too little. I would need time to get to know you better."

So smooth! Even though he was the Ultimate Academic, he might've well been the Ultimate Flirt. He had good looks to go with it as well.

"That does sound nice," Teruhashi said, maintaining her perfect smile, "however, we should head to the ballroom, like Saiki mentioned."

“Shall we get going?” Saiki asked again. Joe and I nod simultaneously and we all follow Teruhashi instinctively as if she was leading the way. 

We arrived in front of two large and extravagant doors. They were ornated and overly decorated with jewels and cloth. Teruhashi took the first step and pushed on the gilded door handle. The door gently creaked open and the bright chandelier light from the spacious ballroom blinded me. It nearly blinded Teruhashi's beauty, but she shined brighter than the exceedingly bright ballroom.

A few people were inside the ballroom already, each with varying sizes and clothing. None of them were wearing clothing fit for a ball. 

I recognized a few of them. Sally Face was in the corner, sitting on a fancy chair that made his orange jumpsuit and prosthetic look disgustingly filthy in contrast. 

The creepy high school boy that I encountered in the storage room was standing in the middle of the room, examining the area.

And… a brown-haired boy sat by himself on the other side of the wide ballroom. His back faced me but I had immediately recognized him from his cap and bushy brown hair.

It was the sole survivor from the other First Trial. The other child in his first trial was brutally killed by a device that was rigged by the kidnapper. The other child seemed to be close to him. I can't imagine that the boy would've had the same desperate look on his face or the same destroyed posture when it was all over if it was just any stranger.

My first instinct was to talk to him. He was all by himself and I doubted anyone else knew about what happened to him. 

I was about to head over to him before another child appeared before me, one I didn't recognize.

"Have you guys seen my friend, Patamon? He's small and he's frightened easily." The boy rushed to say. Albeit having a nervous tone, his body language was calm and collected, surprising for the young boy. He looked up at us with a worried expression.

"Pata-what? I don't think so?" Joe responded.

"What does he look like?" I asked. I couldn't just completely ignore the child in front of me. 

"He's round and has big bat-like ears- he looks like a mouse but isn't one, not exactly."

Was his friend an animal? Or a pet of some kind? Maybe even a plushie toy?

"Sorry, I don't think I've seen it."

“…He's most likely not here.” Saiki said. We all turned to him in surprise. He talked as if he knew something about its whereabouts. 

“I remember seeing a no-pet sign. ”

Oh, that's what he meant.

"But, he's not a pet." The kid looked around, uneasy. "And I didn't bring him here by choice either."

"... What's your name?" I asked. I decided that talking about the fact that there was a kidnapper with this grade-school child wasn't the smartest idea. 

"It's Takeru Takaishi but everyone calls me TK. Oh, and there was this card that called me Lil’ Ultimate Hope?"

"Lil' Ultimate Hope? Is that even a thing? What does that mean?" Joe asked.

"I think it's because of this." TK grabbed a flat pin-like object. There was the emblem of a shooting star on it. "This represents hope."

It sounded a bit silly in retrospect, but nobody laughed, even if Teruhashi blinked in confusion. But not irritation, because how could a girl as perfect as her be annoyed at a such an innocent child?

"That's rather useful in this situation." Light said. "Hope can be used to manipulate people."

"Manipulate? I wouldn’t want to manipulate anyone," the boy said innocently. 

"Manipulating people isn't necessarily a bad thing. Many leaders do this to spread their will, to carry out an action. It can be for a good cause," Light said.

"Light is right. He does have a point." Teruhashi said. "Woah, you really are the Ultimate Academic."

As the two talked I turned to Joe and pointed at the brown-haired boy across the room. My stomach turned with dread the more time that I left him alone. 

“Joe, do you remember that boy?”

“What boy- Oh. Yes, it’s kinda hard to forget,” Joe said.

“We need to talk to him. Comfort him or something. Imagine being alone after something like that.”

Joe silently agreed. 

"Teruhashi, Saiki, Light, I'm going to see if that boy is alright." I said.

"Yeah, I'm going with," Joe added.

"Oh, alright." Light glanced over to us.

"Good luck." Teruhashi said, smiling softly. I had to put the full force of my will to push myself to go away from her shininess. 

Saiki didn't say anything, only slightly nodding. 

We walked over to him. The boy didn’t notice us at all. He was still staring at the wall, unmoving. 

“Hey, what’s your name?” I tried.

The boy didn’t move. He continued to stare at the corner like some kind of kid who was in time-out. I can only imagine the guilt he was feeling, but I hoped he was okay. 

“Kid?” Joe reached out to touch him on the shoulder. The boy suddenly looked up to him, eyes widened with the presence of a stranger. His eyes were clearly filled with unsettling fear. Joe looked unsure on how to help, taking his hand back. 

“It’s okay, I won’t try anything,” I said with a tender tone. 

His eyes softened but he was still unmoving. 

"My name is Sara and this is Joe," Joe awkwardly smiled at the boy when I mentioned his name, "and we're in the same situation as you."

His face wasn't one of distrust, but the faint sense of shock was still ingrained in his face. 

"I don't recommend forcing him to talk anymore. It would only make him retract further into himself," a young boyish voice said. "I mean, it's just a guess, of course!"

"Another boy? Wait, you look like you're 5 years old!" Joe exclaimed.

"I'm 7, but I do wish I was 17." 

A seven year old? Such a young boy was kidnapped into this horrid place? I know it wasn't unheard of for young children to be kidnapped but seeing it for myself made me sick. 

"Do you remember anything about how you got here?" The 7-year-old asked.

Joe glimpsed at me before looking down at the miniature boy.

"Last thing I remember was walking Sara home since she was being harassed by a stalker. We got to her house and I was going to call the cops but then I heard Sara scream upstairs." Joe said. I listened intently for the next part. "I went upstairs and I saw him! It was the stalker! I got all my courage to punch the guy but…"

"You got kidnapped anyway?" The boy looked up with a childish smile. 

"Yeah…" Joe looked defeated. "I'm no good at fighting."

"Oh I see." The boy nodded. "What are your names, if I may ask?"

"I'm Joe Tazuna."

"I'm Sara Chidouin, the Ultimate Swordswoman."

The boy nodded, keeping the innocent smile on his face.

"Well it's only fair you know my name! I'm Conan Edogawa, the Ultimate Detective!"

"Ultimate Detective? Aren't you 7?" Joe asked.

"Well kinda. I did get the chance to see what was on his card- he's Mason Pines, the lil' Ultimate Paranormal Investigator."

"Paranormal? Like… Ghosts and stuff?" Joe asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

"That is what paranormal means. But I don't believe in ghosts or any other paranormal events," Conan said. 

"Really, you don't think any of it exists at all?" I asked. "Not even the mythical creatures like… Tsuchinoko?"

"All of that is easily faked with an altered photo. It's not hard to find a full-looking snake, right?" Conan flicked his hand to the side to enunciate his point. "Well I guess Mason thinks it's fun to chase after these creatures. I get that. Detective work is the same! When you piece it all together- well, actually it's my uncle who does it."

"It's not you?" Joe asks.

"I just help him a bit." He smiles innocently. 

Suddenly, Joe's stomach growled loudly. It didn't exactly sound like one of hunger but as if his stomach was out of balance. He turned red from embarrassment, watching everyone look at him. 

"Joe, are you okay?" I asked.

He covered his mouth with his hand as he slowly turned green instead of red. He shook his head rapidly. 

I look around frantically for some kind of trash bin for Joe to… deposit his wastes. Joe runs around, looking alongside me. 

"I got one! I have a trash bag!" Someone called out. Joe quickly turned towards the voice. 

It was Sally Face. Joe flinches from his appearance. Sally Face pulled a trash bag from the inside of his jumpsuit. He ran towards Joe with extended arms as Joe scrambled over to him. It was a funny sight as Joe hunched over and his insides poured themselves out. Joe stared at the inside of the bag with disgust as Sally relaxed, sighing in relief. 

"...Thanks." Joe looked up at him with a hesitant look on his face, obviously cautious of the man that was wearing the prisoner outfit. 

"No problem. It's a good thing I kept this bag in the storage room." 

"You probably don't want to keep that anymore, haha."

"Definitely not."

"Can I take a look at that?" Without noticing, Conan had walked up to them and was on his tip-toes to look at the bag.

"Why would you want to look at his vomit?" Sally Face asked earnestly.

"I mean then we'll know what he ate before, right?"

"Right, but Why-" Sally Face paused. "Oh, I see. We would have an idea of when our kidnappers kidnapped us by seeing the food."

"Joe, What did you last eat?" Conan tilted his head up to look at Joe.

"Huh? I uh… I think it was lunch. Well, that's obvious, I mean it was a simple bento box with rice."

"There's no rice at all in the vomit. Just a weird clear liquid with a tint of green." Sally Face said. 

"That's most likely what knocked us out either before or after the First Trial. Still, it's too early to jump to conclusions. The green is clearly a distinct substance from the other liquids and there are no stomach acids in his vomit, strangely enough. I mean-" Conan stopped mid-conversation and glanced at everyone. He realized almost everyone was looking at him, astonished with the way he spoke so expertly. "Uh, well, maybe Mister Joe just ate some broccoli. My uncle forces me to eat it all the time. I get it if you don't like it either." 

The little detective made a small face of childish disgust before stepping away from Sally Face and Joe. 

"Wait, what were you going to say about stomach acids?" Sally Face asked, stopping Conan. 

"Well, you know how stomach acids are supposed to make food easier to go through? I was going to say I learned that in class yesterday," Conan said.

I could tell Sally Face blinked through the eye holes in his mask, clearly confused.

"That's… great," He said. 

Conan skedaddles away after Sally Face responded. 

Joe stares at the mess that came from his mouth. He says, "It's true, it doesn't really look like vomit."

"Okay, enough talk about vomit, how about you tell me who you are?" Aubrey cut in. She was glaring at Sally Face in particular, clearly suspicious. She stood in front of the other three she recognized, Kel, Hero, and Sunny. She almost had a protective stance. If I didn't know they were friends, I wouldn't have guessed that she had any kind of relation to them.

"If we introduce ourselves first, maybe everyone else will do it as well," Kel suggested. "I'm Kel, Hero here is my brother and Sunny and Aubrey are my childhood friends."

"So you guys know each other? That sounds comforting. At least there's one good situation here, if you can call that good." Sally Face said. 

Aubrey didn't look satisfied with his answer. She opens her mouth, about to say something before she is interrupted by a hidden voice, one coming from behind the curtains in the ballroom theater.

"Wait! Childhood friends? You four flesh-bags know each other?" A familiar high-pitched voice echoed through the ballroom. The kidnapper's voice. The over-the-top familiar voice inflictions, the mocking childish demeanor strike at me with a mix of fear and disgust. 

Echoing footsteps make the whole ballroom tremble. The kidnapper was going to make an appearance. He was going to show himself.

My heart was racing in cold sweat. I wasn't sure what he would do. He could easily strap me down again. Make us play another game. I might actually die this time.

I don't want to die. 

The rhytmitic metallic taps are the only sounds I hear, amplified in my head. I can't tell if the taps are from my heart thumping into my chest or the hallucination of the kidnapper talking to us. God, I hope it's not real.

The curtain in the theater suddenly swished back and the kidnapper revealed itself.

...And everything feels real again.

It was a gray teddy bear wearing a captain hat. Half of its face looked like a regular teddy bear's face while the other half was one of a vicious animal. Sharp teeth were jammed next to each other, forming a curved disdainful scowl and its eye was a slashed claw mark. A deep void was left behind.

The sight is so ridiculous it strikes me as some feverish dream, a hallucination of some kind. Everything twists in my eyes, burning at the impossible sight.

The mouth of the bear stretched open, moving unnatural, a poor imitation of a human speaking. Its voice still rings strong and harsh throughout the crowd.  "Oh no… There's 17 of you? No, no, no, no- no- no- no- no- no-" The teddy bear's voice morphs into a deep, dark toll. It's almost mechanic and layered, revealing the layers beneath its teddy bear facade. It sweatily scans the whole crowd of people-- I had no idea where the sweat was coming from. Life began to melt into a fever dream cartoon. "One of you must have creeped on board, you attention-seeking whore!"

A teddy bear? A child's teddy bear playing pretend was the kidnapper? No, that couldn't be. This was probably another one of his games. A robot constructed by some evil organization just to toy with us. Some... distraction, a made-up sight for my own brain to face my situation. I've heard of it happening before, people in such disbelief they simply make up somthing that makes sense-- I'm sure that's it!

"What the fuck! Is that a moving teddy bear?!" Aubrey yelled.

"Language," Hero muttered almost instinctively. I wasn't sure if he said it to Aubrey or the bear.

"Is it like a pirate teddy bear?" Another voice said.

Most people remained quiet, others murmuring words of surprise and fear.

"You must be the kidnapper," Rantaro said from the far end of the room. He was the closest to the gray teddy bear, standing right under the bear, a few feet away from the theater stand. It was hard to believe that the traditional children's toy was supposed to be a kidnapper.  I have no idea how Rantaro came to that conclusion.

The bear looked down at him with a down turned red-toothed frown. An annoying laugh echoed from him once again. 

"Oh that's… an… moving robot teddy bear. That must have been expensive." The gears were slowly turning in Kel's head but it seemed that he would never reach the right angle. 

“Are you the one who took Patamon?" TK's voice somehow was louder than everyone else's, making everyone else shut up. His attachment to his friend, Patamon, was clear. Still, I don't understand why anyone would think this toy is a kidnapper. "Can you just please tell me where Patamon went? I’m sure Patamon and I aren’t supposed to be here. Can you just send us home?”

“Fetus thing, shut up, will ya? I need to introduce myself and fix a thousand other mistakes this stupid thing caused and then do a whole introduction-.”

"Please listen- I was with Patamon before you kidnapped us!" His voice was on an edge.

"Yada, Yada, I'm too tired to deal with this. It's too much work trying to find the stowaway anyway." The gray teddy bear scanned the room with its beady button eye. "Alright then. Call me Condakuma. I'm the fine cap' of this fine cruise ship here. And you all are the privileged guests.

"I'll just uh…" The teddy bear waved a gray, robotic paw over us. His rows of metallic teeth stretched across his face, transforming from a wretched frown to an upturned malicious smile.

"I'll just get rid of you."

"Huh?"

The next thing that happened was so quick, I had barely noticed what happened. I manage to catch the whipping end of ropes sprouting out of the ground. The ropes stay in the air for just a moment before they slam down atop of the young boy, TK. 

A scream of pain pounded through the room, coming from TK.  It pierced my ears. I couldn't get my eyes off the gruesome sight.

Where did the ropes come from? It felt as if they came from the ground but there was no hole or door from where they could have come from.

Thick, metallic ropes coiled around the boy, gradually squeezing him tighter as every millisecond passed. Bruises were left behind from the brutal impact of the heavy ropes plunging into him. His body was angled in an unnatural way, the metallic ropes tightening and making his body twist further.

A weak sound escaped from him as he gasped for air, his face pale.

"...What- What is this?" I murmured to myself. I was standing behind the boy the entire time but I didn't move once. My body was frozen and my gut felt attached to the floor, chained to my spot. 

No one tried to move, faces of shock sprung all throughout the people here. Even those who had displayed no show of emotion earlier had shock ingrained in their faces. The only one who had any kind of differentiating expression is one thing:

The teddy bear, Condakuma. His sewn face is a twisted, exaggerated expression of insanity. There is no real emotion behind it. His face looks so flat, man-made, even if it was a look of madness. It was made to scare us. 

I took my eyes off the struggling boy and faced Condakuma.

"Hey…" I attempted to say, but my voice got stuck in my throat. 

"Hey!" I tried again. My voice was much louder, grabbing most people's attention. "Stop! You're making him suffer!"

Condakuma turned to face me or maybe he just adjusted his head movement so it was adjacent to my face. 

"Do you want me to stop his suffering?" Condakuma tilted his stuffed head. The metallic ropes squeezed tighter as I stalled. A loud crack echoed from the TK's body.

"I-" I stop when another multitude of loud grotesque cracks come from the body. His body is no longer in human shape. It is a mangled shell of the former boy. The metal ropes curled around it, his body no longer the recognizable silhouette of a human. What used to be his back was abnormally folded over its side. Every single limb is in misshapen pieces, the inside bone protruding outwards in the arms, legs, and neck.

Still, there was the slow rise and fall of what remained of his chest. I almost miss it as his chest is spread out and ropes coiled around him. He is still alive. His vocal cords are crushed and his airflow is crushed under the coiled grip of the ropes. A wheezing sound whished through his mouth, the remains of his life whirling out.

My breathing sounds as if it is pounding inside my chest. TK isn't actually dying. TK is hurt. TK is suffering. 

"We can save him, we can-"

Then it stops. There is no sign of movement anymore.

"...Sara," Joe said. His voice was quiet, barely a whisper. "Don't look at him."

I turn towards Joe in response. He's looking back at me with the same panicked expression.

Condakuma shakes his hands, as if he had finished a chore. He murmurs to himself.

“This cruise just keeps on going more haywire. Don’t even try me. I'm so tired…What was I supposed to do again?” His childish voice is back, full of fabricated innocence.

Condakuma waved a hand, flamboyant-like yet robotic movement. The ropes whipped the remains of the body to the side, leaving a trail of slopped, sticky blood. Part of the wall lifts up mechanically, groaning loudly as if it hasn't been used in years. The metal ropes attach to the inside of the opening in the wall and sucks the body inside. 

TK is gone. The only thing that remained are streaks of blood where a body has been dragged by long metallic claws.

Everyone's expression at the beginning had changed entirely in a matter of seconds. 

Joe's sick face was somehow even more ill-looking.

Kel's face was one of pure conflict as the truth of his situation dawned on him. His friends beside him shared a look of terror, even Sunny who had a blank face, his being absent from here.

Saiki had a look I couldn't discern in it's entirety, but it was close to one of dreadful shock, similar to Teruhashi's. 

Everyone else, including myself, had either covered their mouths in horror or gone pale in the show of brutality.

"Where was I… right. Everyone here was specifically selected for a game to play..."

He spoke some more after that, some words being lost in my head. I can't think. I can't feel. A little boy was dead. He died in front of me. I couldn't do anything. I faintly felt a warm hand on my shoulder ground me, but that couldn't erase the obscene horror.

"...It will appeal to all of you, and is full of the thrills travelers and adventurers were always so obsessed with," Condakuma continued. 

Rantaro's face darkened at the mention of 'traveler'. After all, his own ultimate was the Ultimate traveler, I couldn't blame him for tensing up. 

I felt my face crinkle as I tried to keep myself here in the now. I can hear Condakuma, and something bothered me about what Condakuma said about a game. He said we were selected to play a game, but I didn't remember signing up for anything specifically. 

Ironically, I could only think about how his choice of words was just another way for him to toy with us, like it was just a game to him. The way he killed TK like it was a side-pleasure, as if he had no importance whatsoever.

"You passengers will now be living a life of luxury while being confined to the rules of this game. Honestly, you don't have much to worry about if you ask me. I would just relax," Condakuma said. 

"Relax? Are you serious? Why would you kidnap us illegally to give us a better place to live?" Ryugi exclaimed, his voice shaky with forced anger.

"I don't know. I didn't orchestrate any of this kidnapping stuff. I'm just here to make sure you guys do… wait what were y'all supposed to do?" Condakuma paused. "Eh, I mostly forgot. Oh, and I can kill you if I feel like it."

The word kill echoed in my head. I tried not to think too much about it, but he was free to kill us, even for reasons of which I didn't know of, and it made me terrified. That thing Condakuma was talking about, a 'stowaway', didn't make any sense. Why would anyone want to stowaway on this boat? 

"Honestly, I have a feeling you'll understand what I mean by game, right?" Condakuma turned his head unnaturally to look at one of the so-called passengers. He stared at the creepy high schooler. "Does killing game sound familiar to you, Hajime? Or is it Izuru now?"

The high schooler's face had only a slight irritation in his eyes, but the intense stare gave way to show the burning hate under his eyes. It was the biggest reaction I had seen out of him, other than his face of faint shock at TK's death. 

But that name made someone else react strangely. 

"Your name is… Hajime?" Rantaro glanced at him, faint recognition in his voice. "Why is that name familiar? …Hajime Hinata."

Rantaro muttered the name under his breath, his face a mixture of confusion and frustration, just like when someone has the answer at the tip of the tongue. 

"Now, now, it's too early to start with the confusing, mysterious secrets, so how about instead, I explain it real quick and get some action." Condakuma chuckled, a hint of excitement under the tired frown of his face. "You kill each other, you get out. Simple."

It was like I didn't hear the words. He said them so casually, the same way someone would complain and joke about suicide. It didn't feel like it was actually going to happen. 

"I'm sorry?" Hero's voice creaked, expressing my own concern. 

“Egh, the rules and all is this whole complex thing, so I’ll just make it show up on your e-cards,” Condakuma said, rolling its beady eye.

Just as Condakuma said that, a high-pitched sound echoed in the ballroom, the sound of a dozen cards beeping. I reach for my own card. Suddenly, the card’s front switches from showing my information to displaying a rather short paragraph. Under the short passage was a numbered list of rules. Before I even had a chance to read it, someone said something out loud.

“This is a game to kill each other? I just-" Joe stuttered over his words "Why would we do that?" 

"Myeh, myeh, I don't know. Figure it out yourselves otherwise you'll be stuck here for the rest of your measly lives. Maybe your life will get cut short."

I try to ignore his threatening words to read the rules.

Rule #1: Students may reside only within the cruise unless a stop or final destination is reached. Jumping off board is an unacceptable use of time.

Rule #2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

Rule #3: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Somnium Cruise at your discretion, and please remember, all rules apply on the cruise at all times.

Rule #4: Violence against headmaster Condakuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras and any other accommodating cruise items.

Rule #5: Anyone who kills a fellow guest and becomes "blackened" will arrive at their final destination, unless they are discovered.

Rule #6: Once a murder takes place, a cruise trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving guests.

Rule #7: If the guilty party is exposed during the cruise trial, they alone will be executed.

Rule #8: If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will reach the main destination, and all remaining guests will be executed.

Rule #9: Additional regulations may be added if necessary.

The ballroom is silent as everyone reads the rules simultaneously. I only skimmed through them, and there was much I didn't understand.

"What is this final dest-" I began to say, still looking at the confusing set of rules.

"Condakuma is gone," Rantaro said calmly, "We can't ask him any more questions, unfortunately."

Rantaro wasn't smiling anymore, an unsettled look shadowed on his face. 

"Oh, okay," I quickly murmured. 

The ballroom is still and unmoving. Not many speak, many clearly in denial after reading the strange rules. 

At first, I thought no one was willing to do something so wrong to a stranger, especially when there was hardly any kind of motive. Then, I realized- it was precisely the fact that they were strangers that I had no idea whether this concept of killing strangers was even foreign to them, or whether it was immoral at all to them. 

I couldn't help but glance at Sally Face when that thought crossed my mind. I couldn't see his face. I had not an inkling of what he was thinking. 

It wasn't just me looking at him. Light glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. Others looked at him with doubting glares. 

In truth, no one had looked at each other with ease, not even those who knew each other. 

I only knew Joe in this place. I had no doubt that he would try anything to me or anyone. I was sure Joe thought the same of me.

Even with that thought, I could only think one thing:

I need to survive.

Monokuma Theater:

>>>WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL PRIVILEGED ACCESS TO BEHIND THE SCENES! EARLY ACCESS THIS TIME AROUND FOR YOUR PREMIUM VIEWING PLEASURE!!!

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>>>NOW MAY THE RELAXING

BEGIN…

A table-like device has a brown-haired girl strapped down to it. Tears pour from her eyes as she struggles to break free. A brown-haired child was on his knees, scrambling to sand down something in his hands. He trembled as he shouted something inaudibly. The clock clicked in the background. Tik. Tik. Tik.

Tok.

The device closes in on itself. A tremble is felt throughout the room. Thick blood drips from the cracks of the device. The brown-haired boy is unmoving, staring at the remains of the other child through the device. Trembling hands reach for nothing as the blood and pieces of chunky flesh seeps onto the floor and stains the boy’s shorts. 

Half of him is lost.

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