After another one of Hatter's speeches of encouragement, the residents departed to participate in the games once again.

Keijiro tried to get Michael and Fujitaka to quickly follow him but they moved as if they didn't want to go.

"Are you two forgetting the plan?" Keijiro hissed with the bag on his back and one gun in his hands.

Michael had the other gun and looked to the Hatter who was preparing to leave with his group. "Would it be suspicious if we all go into a game together? We usually split up as far as they've seen."

"So? Does that really matter?" Keijiro then saw Chishiya, Kuina, and Tatta approaching them. "Damn it!"

Michael looked as well. "Let's just do what we did last time. I'll go with Kuina and we'll meet up afterwards."

"It's going to be mighty suspicious when you leave her side all of a sudden after the game though," Keijiro said.

"I'll just tell her I want to find you two first and that she can go on without me."

"Then she'll know that we're all together."

"But I don't think Kuina would tell on us," Fujitaka spoke as the others got closer.

"So what's the plan?" Kuina asked and smiled at the three, "same groups this time?"

Michael nodded at her. "Yeah—"

"I want to go with Keijiro."

Keijiro looked down at Fujitaka who looked determined. "Why?" He asked, "doesn't make much of a difference."

Fujitaka crossed his arms. "I'm not changing my mind. Didn't you get shot during your last game?"

Keijiro laughed. "I don't need protection." He observed Fujitaka's "serious" face and tried not to laugh again since he looked more like a frustrated puppy.

"That's fine," Tatta said then glanced at Chishiya, "I guess it's you and me then."

"I'll go on my own." Chishiya declined.

Tatta's mouth hung open. "What? You had no problem going with Keijiro last time—"

Chishiya walked away and Tatta sighed. Fujitaka then frowned a little and embraced the boy with the hat.

"Goodbye Tatta." Fujitaka sniffed and Keijiro tried to not pull the boy away before he ruined the plan.

"Oh uh, bye?" Tatta chuckled. "You know I'll see you later, right?"

Fujitaka stepped back. "Yeah..."

Michael looked his two friends in the eye. "Be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," Keijiro said as Kuina pointed at him.

"And try not to get hurt again," she told him.

Keijiro rolled his eyes as the two walked off then glanced down at Fujitaka. "You ready?"

"Yup!"

Keijiro and Fujitaka left the Beach in search of a game venue under the night sky.

"Why did you really want to go with me?" Keijiro asked, "you know very well I can handle myself."

"I know but if we're already together then it would be easier for Michael to find us both," Fujitaka said, "we don't all have to split up."

Keijiro looked impressed. "Wow, I guess you can actually be smart sometimes."

"Hey!" Fujitaka pouted then glanced to the bag Keijiro was carrying. "Plus, I haven't played a game with you in a while. Is my pistol in there? I think I lost it."

"It is and you're not getting it back since you obviously can't even keep up with it."

"It's not my fault... I just forgot about it. What if I need it for the game?"

Before Keijiro could respond he spotted a few people entering a building and his face fell.

"Not another school." Keijiro sighed and gestured for Fujitaka to follow. "Come on."

The two walked towards the building which was an elementary school and saw that there was a table out front with phones and other items laid out. There was also a metal box that was open next to the table.

"What the hell is this?" One guy spoke, staring down at the table.

Keijiro and Fujitaka stepped closer, passing through the red force field and looked down as well.

Next to the phones were various weapons on the table all laid out with a sign that said 'take one'. They then looked to the large metal box that also had a sign but that one said 'empty all belongings'.

"Yeah, I don't like this," Keijiro said then glanced over his shoulder, "a little too late to turn back now though."

"Our stuff?" One woman held her gun closer to her. "Not a chance."

"You might get lasered if you don't," a man told her.

The woman was hesitant but eventually placed her weapon inside and the other participants did the same.

Keijiro took that chance to grab two phones and get his first pick of the weapons. After observing his choices he finally settled on a pick axe for himself and grabbed a dagger for Fujitaka.

"Do we really have to leave our stuff?" Fujitaka whispered to him.

Keijiro handed him the dagger and phone. "It looks pretty secure so I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like anyone can come into the game venue and take it anyways."

Keijiro then placed his bag and gun into the box while the other participants grabbed their weapons. Once that was done, the doors to the elementary school opened. They all filed inside and when they did, the doors shut behind them.

Multiple black arrows led them to a specific classroom where many chairs were placed in a circle. The chairs were metal and looked bolted to the ground while two speakers hung on the wall.

"Oh god," Keijiro mumbled under his breath, thinking he knew what this game was. The door to the classroom closed behind them too and everyone observed the spacious area before the automated voice spoke to them.

Registration has closed
There are a total of 15 participants
The game will now commence

Keijiro then looked down at his phone and felt his heart stop.

Difficulty: 6 of Hearts ♥️
Game: Musical Chairs

Rules: When the music is playing, walk in a circle around the chairs. When the music stops, find a chair to sit in and whoever is left standing will be eliminated. After each round, a chair will be taken away. This process will repeat until there is only one person left sitting in the last chair.

Time limit: 50 minutes

Keijiro looked up at Fujitaka who looked terrified.

"... only one survivor?" The boy spoke barely above a whisper.

Keijiro observed the other participant's horrified expressions and how they gripped their weapons tighter. He then stepped closer to Fujitaka, knowing he'd have to fight to protect not only himself this game.

"We'd have to face a hearts game eventually," Keijiro said, "I don't care what anyone's said before, we're both getting out of here, okay?"

Fujitaka nodded but still looked shaken up so Keijiro grabbed the boy's shoulders.

"You need to focus," Keijiro told him, "I can't protect you the entire game and people will most definitely try to get you out. That's why they gave us weapons." He steadied his breathing, never being this nervous about a game before. "Promise me, you'll fight back."

Fujitaka nodded again and gave a thumbs up. "I won't let you down. I can do this!"

Keijiro grinned as the music started to play. It was a fun childish melody that now gave off an eerie vibe considering the situation they were in.

When the music stopped, Keijiro instantly grabbed Fujitaka's wrist and ran towards two chairs. He could hear others grunting and huffing as one pushed another out the way. He then let Fujitaka sit first before sitting himself.

As the two took their seats, something unexpected happened. Metal cuffs raised from the chairs arms and legs trapping theirs in place. Keijiro stared at his wrists that were now cuffed to the chair and tried to move his legs but they were in the same condition.

Keijiro looked over at Fujitaka to see the boy in the same state and so were the other participants who had secured a chair. He then observed the area and saw one guy left standing.

"No..." The guy backed up not knowing what was about to happen. "No!" He ran to the locked door banging on it but just then, the ground opened up from under his feet and the guy's screams faded as he fell.

Keijiro's eyes widened as he saw the floor that held the circle of chairs still standing. The rest of the floor was now gone revealing a dark abyss below them where there was eventually a chilling thud.

The participants locked in their chairs yelped around him and Keijiro looked over at Fujitaka who was trying to be brave but still clearly frightened. Now Keijiro knew he had to let Fujitaka sit before he did at all times because if he got trapped in his chair and Fujitaka got attacked he wouldn't be able to help.

The missing floor reappeared and the chairs let the participants go while one chair was taken away. Everyone got back into circle formation as the music started again.

Keijiro watched participants eyeing certain chairs but saw no blood on their weapons. He then saw that some people had bruising or cuts and figured this round everyone will finally start getting rid of each other.

The music played a little too long this time before eventually stopping. To the right of him, Keijiro saw the woman who gave up her gun jamming a hatchet into another girl's leg.  Blood sprayed out and the girl screamed trying to use their own weapon to fight back.

Another scream surfaced and Keijiro turned in panic realizing it was Fujitaka's. A man had pulled Fujitaka away from the chair he was aiming for and the boy was pushing the sharp sai the man had in his hands away from his heart.

Keijiro ran over, raising his pick axe, and swung it into the man's back. The man screamed and Keijiro kicked him off of Fuji. He then took Fujitaka and sat him in a chair before finding one for himself to sit in.

"I'm sorry," Fujitaka whimpered, "I said I'd be strong—"

"It's not your fault," Keijiro cut him off, "that man was two times your size. You still did a good job holding him off."

"HELP!"

Keijiro and Fujitaka were drawn to the girl who had been sliced with the hatchet in the leg. She was holding it while bleeding out and tried dragging herself to a chair.

Keijiro saw the man he stabbed in the back, already dead, then saw that there was one empty chair left where one of them could be.

"More people are dying than there needs to be," Fujitaka said, also staring at the chair, "one of them could've been sitting there."

Keijiro looked over at the woman who had stabbed the pleading girl and saw she was purposely avoiding eye contact, looking extremely guilty.

Then again, the floor opened up and two bodies fell this time. Keijiro winced a bit from hearing the thuds then realized something. Even if he did keep protecting Fujitaka, they would eventually be the only two left. He looked over at Fuji...

Keijiro already made up his mind on what he'd do then. He just hoped Michael would take care of Fuji until the very end.

30 minutes remaining.

The floor reappeared and the chairs released them to restart the round. Two chairs were taken away this time and the music played.

"We shouldn't fight each other!"

Keijiro and everyone else looked over at a girl who shouted over the music.

"If we all play fairly then only one person has to be sacrificed each round!"

The woman scoffed. "Yeah? Would you be saying that if you end up being the one sacrificed?"

The girl quieted down.

"The only way to win is to be the last one standing!" A man shouted, "getting rid of everyone else yourself would be easier than playing round after round!"

Another girl glared at him. "Go on, try it!"

Keijiro moved closer to Fujitaka, sensing a brawl was coming. The music stopped faster than expected which threw everyone off guard but Keijiro ushered Fujitaka forward as people went for each other's throats.

Keijiro headed for the chairs while everyone else fought but then grit his teeth when he felt his right arm sting. He looked to his side to see the woman who'd slice that girl slice his arm with her hatchet.

She then lunged at him and he fell back, losing hold of his pick axe in the process. He kicked at her stomach and wondered why she was so strong.

Keijiro didn't care what the woman would do to him and turned his head from on the ground to see if Fujitaka had gotten a chair. He then looked back to the woman when he felt something dripping on his face.

The woman's eyes bulged and Keijiro saw that she had been stabbed in the neck with a dagger. Fujitaka stood behind her with a straight face before removing his knife, letting the woman fall off of Keijiro and to the side.

Keijiro wasted no time in jumping back up and dragging Fujitaka to a chair. There were more available seats since everyone was taking each other out. Fuji and Keijiro both safely secured a seat but Keijiro then looked back to the floor where he left something.

His pick axe.

It was too late to get it back now since he was already cuffed to the chair. He then observed the area and saw four bodies including that woman which left several vacant seats.

The floor opened up again and all the bodies fell with loud thuds along with his one and only weapon.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Fujitaka told him, gripping his dagger.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Keijiro took a deep breath. He didn't want Fujitaka taking any more lives or even worse, ending up like him. Keijiro would kill people with his own hands if he had to, to prevent that from happening.

There were now only eight participants left and after the floor came back, the round started again with seven chairs available this time.

The music began to play. Fujitaka had his dagger that was stained with blood ready and stayed close to Keijiro.

20 minutes remaining.

"I... I can't do this..."

Keijiro looked back at the girl who had proposed they play the game fairly. She had abandoned her weapon long ago and looked like she'd given up on survival.

"Then don't," one man with murderous intent in his eyes spat out, "gives me more a chance of winning."

After a while, the music stopped and everyone scrambled for a chair. This time the fight wasn't as hard since the girl hadn't moved at all to secure a seat.

"What are you doing?" Fujitaka asked her but it was too late since all of the chairs were taken now.

"Let her be," Keijiro told him, "she's made her choice."

Then again like all the other times the floor disappeared and the girl fell silently without a scream. The only sound she made was the thud that ended her life.

"Pathetic." Keijiro heard the man say under his breath.

The floor reappeared, the chairs let them go, and the music started while one chair was taken away.

Even though there were less people and threats, Keijiro still kept Fujitaka close.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Keijiro, Fujitaka, and the remaining players turned to see the man bashing another guy's head in with a mace. Blood splattered the floor from the attack and the man's eyes drifted up towards the rest of them.

The others broke the circle formation and fled from the man who was trying to take them all out. One girl that tried to run tripped over her own feet and scrambled back from the man approaching her.

Fujitaka prepared to go help her with his dagger raised but Keijiro stopped him by putting a firm hand on his shoulder.

Keijiro made sure they stayed far away as possible from the man who took out the girl with only two hits. Another guy who witnessed it tackled the man, trying to stop him from hurting anyone else.

"You're acting insane!" The guy shouted. "Just stop!"

The man growled in frustration, driven by the will to survive, and pushed the younger guy away. He then gripped his mace tight before taking the life of another player.

Before the man could continue has rampage, the music stopped and the five players left easily found a chair to sit in. The floor retracted and the bodies of the ones who were killed fell.

"Please..." one woman cried from her chair then glanced at the man who was stone faced. "Please don't do this..."

Another round started and this time four chairs were left out. Once they all were released the woman tried bolting to the classroom door which she knew wouldn't open.

"Let me out!" The woman yelled, "this is madness! I don't want—"

Blood sprayed the door as the man pulled his mace back from the woman's bashed head. The woman then slumped down the door, leaving a trail of blood, dead and the man slowly turned to Keijiro, Fujitaka, and one girl left.

The girl approached Keijiro and Fujitaka. "We need to get rid of him." She stated the obvious.

The man charged at the girl who had her hands behind her back first since he thought that'd be the easiest target. He swung his mallet but surprisingly the girl dodged it and delivered a punch to the man's right cheek.

Keijiro saw a deep cut and blood drip from the man's face, wondering how she was able to make such an impact then saw something on both of the girl's fists.

Brass knuckles.

"This ain't the first time I've fought before." The girl cracked her neck and circled the man who quickly recovered.

The man tried to attack again but felt someone stomp the back of his left leg making him fall to his knees. He turned to Keijiro who was grinning at him then felt another punch from the girl.

"Teaming now, huh?" The man ignored Keijiro and lunged at the girl again, taking her down. He held her arm down with one hand as the other one raised his weapon. The girl squirmed and used her other fist to punch the man in the gut but he endured it before bringing down the mace.

The girl prepared for a lethal hit but the mace stopped just inches away from her nose. She then saw Fujitaka repeatedly stabbing the man's shoulder causing him to drop his weapon.

"Let her go!" Fujitaka said then jumped out of reach when the man turned around to grab at him. Keijiro then stepped forward and kicked him in the face for even trying to touch Fuji.

Blood dripped from the man's nose now but still he tried getting a hold of his mace again which the girl slid away out of his reach.

Then the music stopped.

There was enough chairs for all of them and Keijiro brought Fujitaka to one although the boy still wanted to help the girl. Before Keijiro sat in one he turned to her but saw that she was trapping the man in a headlock.

"What are you doing?" Keijiro asked her, "get in a chair before it's too late."

The girl shook her head. "If I'm dying then this bastard's comin' with me."

Keijiro huffed. "You don't have to die, just get in a chair!"

The girl locked eyes with him. "Who's to say when we all sit, this guy won't grab his weapon and kill us all when we obviously can't defend ourselves in those chairs." She looked down at the man who was desperately trying to escape her grasp which was solid tight. "Just let me do something noble."

She laughed a bit then glanced at Fujitaka locked in his seat before looking back at Keijiro who had done his best to protect the boy this entire game.

"Something tells me you're finna do the same."

Keijiro grit his teeth then sat in one of the chairs that cuffed him down. He watched the girl give him a smile and a nod before the floor opened up from underneath the two. The man screamed in rage as they plummeted and two thuds were heard.

10 minutes remaining.

The last round began to start as the floor came back and one chair was left. The music started to play again and Keijiro looked over at Fujitaka who didn't know what to do.

Keijiro chuckled and put his hands on his hips. "Jeez, it's already that time, huh?" He sighed heavily, not knowing why he was even afraid of death. "So, you wanna sit in the chair now or..."

Fujitaka only stared at him. "What?"

"Fuji, you knew how this was going to end." Keijiro stepped closer to the boy. "Now go sit in the damn chair and let's get this over with."

Fujitaka instantly shook his head as tears filled his eyes. "Stop talking like that. You're acting like you're going to—"

"Die?" Keijiro crossed his arms. "Didn't you say you'd be brave? Now do as I say and don't... don't cry."

"What about Michael?"

"He'll take good care of you."

"Stop that!"

Keijiro's face turned serious and he got closer and closer to Fuji until...

Slap!

Fujitaka blinked as the older guy hit him.

"If you're not going to sit down then we'll fight for it. Would that make it easier for you?"

"No—" Fujitaka dodged Keijiro's attempt to hit him again and raised his dagger a little.

Keijiro grinned at the movement. "That's more like it."

"Why are you doing this?" Fujitaka sniffed and glared at him. He avoided another advance and punched Keijiro in the jaw this time.

Keijiro only laughed and rubbed the area. "Wow, you actually pack quite a mean punch. Have you ever considered learning jujitsu or something?"

"I'm not sitting in the chair!" Fujitaka yelled out stubbornly.

Keijiro's eyes narrowed "This kid..." He charged at the boy again and was glad to see Fujitaka fight back. When the boy raised his dagger to attack, Keijiro smiled to himself glad that he'd die by the hand of someone he loved rather than by this horrid game.

Keijiro kept his eyes on the ground, waiting for the final blow but instead saw something dripping onto the floor.

Blood.

Keijiro frantically looked back up to see the dagger that he thought would end him now lodged into Fujitaka's stomach with the boy's hands on the hilt.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Keijiro grabbed Fuji's shoulders in panic.

When Fujitaka spoke blood came out as well. "I'd rather hurt myself than hurt you."

Keijiro's mind was spinning on what to do with his hands still on Fuji and didn't even realize Fujitaka pushing him back until he fell into a seat.

Keijiro's eyes widened and he tried reaching back out but the chair's cuffs were faster. He tried pulling his wrists and ankles free even though there was no point.

"This isn't how this was supposed to go!" Keijiro's eyes widened and he shouted. "I've already accepted that I'd die instead of you, why are you doing this?!"

"I've accepted death too."

"Like hell you have!" Keijiro struggled against the binds and called out to no one in particular. "LET ME OUT!" He looked up at the ceiling hoping some kind of game master or whoever was in control of this game was listening. "Let me go and I'll die instead! You'll still get what you want, just... JUST LET US SWITCH PLACES!"

Fujitaka only smiled at Keijiro. "You don't have to be upset. I want you to live, Keijiro. You know how to survive and take care of yourself." Fuji looked down at the dagger in his stomach. "I'm not as strong as you, I... I don't deserve to keep living when someone like you can live instead."

Keijiro had no idea what Fujitaka saw in him that made the boy want to give his own life for him.

"This... this wasn't the plan," Keijiro's said, his voice hoarse.

"It was my plan."

Keijiro shook his head, still not accepting it. They were so close... so close to leaving the Beach and returning to the way it use to be with just the three of them. He continued to fight against the cuffs until the skin around the areas turned red and started to bleed.

Then the music stopped.

Keijiro's entire body tensed and he slowly looked back up at Fujitaka who was smiling at him brighter than the sun.

"Thank you for loving me, onnisan."

The floor disappeared from under his feet like it did all the times before and Keijiro let out a heart wrenching scream as he watched Fuji's body fall.

From hearing the thud, Keijiro has never felt such grief before and didn't even move when the chair let him go as the floor returned.

[Game Clear]
Congratulations
[7 day visa]

And Keijiro has never wanted to die more.