"It worked!"

The three guys looked over to see Ousuke running towards them with a large smile on his face and Inori was right beside him with a smug look.

"I gotta give it to you, Inori," Michael said, "how'd you find that loophole in the game rules?"

"Huh?" Inori tilted her head. "Oh that was a lie. I don't even know if that would've worked."

"I'm starting to like you more and more," Keijiro commented and Inori curtsied.

The team of five found their way back to the game entrance and out of the forest where the black team was waiting. Just the sight of the white haired person was enough for Keijiro to want to shoot something again.

When Riku and Yui spotted Ousuke they ran over and embraced him.

"I'm so sorry Ousuke!" Yui cried into his shoulder.

Riku eyed the guy in the white jacket. "He told us you already had white team's flag so it was okay to take yours. That prick..."

Kuina tried to smile it off. "We were just playing the game. We knew they'd make it out."

The guy smirked. "I'm glad they did. This bunch is very interesting."

No one laughed at that and everyone continued to glare at the two.

Kuina laughed awkwardly and nudged the guy's shoulder. "He didn't mean any harm by it. Right, Chishiya?"

A loud dramatic gasp came from the group and everyone turned to Keijiro who had his hand over his mouth.

"That's a guy?"

There was a beat of silence before Inori burst out laughing and Fujitaka tried not to out of politeness.

"Uh, we're gonna get going," Ousuke said, coughing to cover his laugh. He looked over to Fujitaka. "I'm sure we'll meet each other again."

"What about us?" Keijiro asked.

"Fine. I'm sure we'll all meet each other again." Ousuke turned to his friends. "And you two don't need to apologize for anything." He eyed Chishiya. "We were all fooled by that scumbag."

"That's nasty," Chishiya said, fiddling with his jacket zipper.

Ousuke and his friends departed from the area and Keijiro set his eyes back on the two strangers or more specifically the keys around their wrists.

"So, what are those for?" Keijiro asked, "they look like hotel keys."

"I didn't even notice that," Michael said.

Kuina opened her mouth as if she were going to tell them everything but Chishiya stopped her.

"We'll let you figure that out yourself," he said.

Keijiro rolled his eyes. "Are you being petty because of the comment I made earlier? How was I supposed to know you were a guy? A lot of girls have deep voices. Plus you're wearing eyeliner."

"I'm not."

"Oh... well you're short so..."

"Yet, I still outsmarted you." Chishiya smirked.

Keijiro blinked then turned to Michael. "So, we're not in a game anymore and we have some time to spare..."

"Where are you going with this?" Michael asked, skeptically.

"Can I shoot him now?"

"Let's go Kuina," Chishiya said and started to walk away first.

"Aw, don't run," Inori taunted with a grin.

Kuina sighed. "He lacks social skills," she apologized for him, "but you can find us at the beach."

"Beach?" Keijiro's eyebrows furrowed. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

Kuina only winked and followed her friend away from them.

"They seem nice." Fujitaka gave a small smile.

Keijiro slowly turned to him. "You're kidding."

"She seems nice," Fujitaka corrected himself.

Michael stretched. "I guess we should go back to the mall and get our things since we won't be staying there anymore."

"Yeah but now we have a new destination," Keijiro said with a grin, thinking of whatever the beach could be. "Those keys obviously belong to a room and their clothes looked fresh too."  His eyes then widened. "Wait what about the card..."

"What card?" Inori asked.

"The four of clubs," Keijiro said, "don't we get a card after every game?" He jogged back into the forest and found the table that was at the entrance but no card.

"Maybe that guy took it," Inori said, coming up behind him along with the others.

"It's not like we need it anyways," Michael said.

Keijiro frowned. "But I wanted it... I really don't like that guy."

"Well there's nothing here so I'm leaving," Inori announced.

"Where are you going?" Fujitaka asked.

Inori held a finger up to her lips. "That's a secret." After that, the girl walked off with a skip in her step, leaving the guys alone.

Keijiro, Michael and Fujitaka made their way back to the abandoned mall and were glad that their stuff was still there.

"I'll miss this," Michael said to his mattress and Keijiro rolled his eyes.

"Where are we going now?" Fujitaka asked, "that girl said something about a beach but there aren't any beaches in Shibuya."

Keijiro grabbed his bag. "It's probably a code for some secret hideout. Since those looked like hotel keys we should search for any abandoned hotels in the area." He looked over at Michael. "Since we don't know how long that'll take we should get some tents too."

"On it," Michael said, "it's like I'm an errand boy." He walked off to find some tent stuff and Keijiro spotted Fujitaka now looking slightly sad.

"What's wrong with you?" Keijiro asked.

"I just hope Ousuke stays safe."

Keijiro scoffed. "Really? We just left the guy, why do you care?"

Fujitaka only sighed and Keijiro groaned.

"Don't start with the moping," Keijiro said, "you have me and Michael, you know."

Fujitaka smiled again. "I know!"

When Michael came back with one packed away large tent, the group left the mall and began to roam the abandoned world in search of this "beach".

"Maybe it's like a haven for the people here," Fujitaka theorized, "I could use a shower."

"Oh don't make me think about that." Keijiro groaned. "I want a bath so bad."

"And I want a burger," Michael added.

The longer they walked, the sky begin to get darker and darker so they made a stop in a grassy area and Michael began to set up the tent.

"It looks a little cramped," Fujitaka commented.

Keijiro glanced at Michael. "You. Sleep outside."

"You. Shut the hell up."

Keijiro gasped and looked over at Fujitaka. "See how mean he is to me?"

Fujitaka giggled as the three did their best to fit into the tent. Keijiro put his arm behind his head while lying on his back and Fujitaka curled up into his little sleeping ball position.

"I miss the mattress." Michael yawned.

Keijiro tapped a finger on his stomach. "Do you remember when my cousin came to visit us?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Do you remember which hotel he stayed at?"

Michael snapped his fingers. "Oh! The one with that huge lobby. I remember commenting on it but I don't exactly remember where it was."

Keijiro grinned. "I do."

****************
Day 6 of Keijiro's Visit to Borderland.

The next morning, Keijiro, Michael and Fujitaka packed up the tent and followed Keijiro's lead.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Michael asked his friend.

Keijiro played with the necklace around his neck. "I think so. A map would be helpful though."

"Maybe the place is near water," Fujitaka spoke, "like an actual beach!"

As they walked they came across several buildings but Keijiro saw Michael stop in front of one.

"What's the problem?" Keijiro asked then saw what he was looking at.

One man had stumbled out alone, covered in blood. He was clearly out of it and seemed to be mumbling something to himself.

Michael, being the concerned person that he is, walked over and the other two had no choice but to follow.

"Are you alright sir?" Michael asked but of focused there was no answer. Only incoherent words.

Keijiro leaned in to hear what the man was saying but could only make out one word.

"... hearts...."

Keijiro looked over at Michael who had heard it too.

"Isn't that the worse suit?" Fujitaka whispered.

Keijiro observed the man's mental state. "Well, it sure seems like it. Let's keep moving, this guy clearly needs some time to himself."

Michael frowned but knew there was nothing they could do but when they tried to walk away the man reached out and grabbed Keijiro's arm.

"What the—"

Fujitaka fumbled to get his pistol out but the man spoke which stopped him.

"The beach."

Keijiro blinked down at the man. "Jeez, does everyone know what this place is except for us?"

The man scrambled, trying to pull his sleeve up which revealed a bracelet with a key of his own. The man then took it off and gave it to Keijiro before looking him straight in the eye.

"Tell Hatter I forfeit my position. I... I can't do this anymore."

Keijiro's eyes widened as he watched the stranger now pull out a gun from behind his back and hold it to the side of his head.

"Sir!" Michael freaked. "Don't!"

Keijiro ran over to Fujitaka to cover the boy's eyes as a gun shot rung out and the sound of a body slumping to the ground followed shortly after.

Fujitaka trembled in Keijiro's arms. "Hearts...can't be that bad... right?"

Michael looked away from the scene and covered his mouth without an answer.

"We need to keep moving," was all Keijiro said as he gripped the key bracelet in his hand. He made sure Fuji didn't see the body as they left the area.

After a while, Keijiro was surprised to actually see a tall beige building that resembled a familiar looking hotel.

"Wow," Keijiro said, "I was going in the right direction?"

Michael turned to him. "Why are you surprised? Were you just leading us around without a clue about our whereabouts?"

"Pfft, no." Keijiro avoided eye contact and began to make his way to the building but a revving noise caught his attention. "Ugh, what now?"

The three turned to see an old classic blue Cadillac coming their way.

"Is that a working car?" Michael asked in surprise.

Keijiro was about to respond but a creeping feeling on the back of his neck caused him to turn around to see a guy just about to knock him out. Keijiro quickly dodged the advance and punched the guy in the face.

"Ah!" A voice said from his side.

Keijiro looked over at Fujitaka who had been knocked out by another guy and Michael was struggling with the third assailant. Keijiro tried to help his friends but the guy he punched was not going down without a fight.

Keijiro grabbed his own gun and used the end to whack the guy in the knee before holding him at gun point.

"Just leave that one, man," Keijiro heard one guy say as they began loading Fujitaka and Michael into the back of the car.

"Let them go our I'll blow his brains out," Keijiro stated but the other two assailants looked conflicted on what to do.

"Sorry but you got yourself into that mess," one assailant said to the one in Keijiro's arms and got in the car with the other before speeding off.

"Wow," Keijiro said, watching them go in the direction of the beige building and dug his gun deeper into the guy's head, "they really just left you like that."

"Please," the guy choked, "don't kill me."

"Why?"

The guy fell silent. "Um..."

"You can't even think of a reason why I shouldn't kill you?"

"I... I can help you move your rank up at the beach!"

"I don't know what that means therefore that offer's useless. Goodbye."

"Wait!"

Keijiro laughed. "I'm just kidding. Come on, and help me get into that building. You're leverage now."

Keijiro held the guy closely as he made his way in the direction the car went and entered the entrance to the building.

All of a sudden, blaring music filled his ears.

"What the..." Keijiro stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

Hundreds of people in swim attire were either dancing, partying, drinking or anything else there is to do in this place.

Keijiro walked in further to see there were people of all ages although they were mostly young. However, as soon as one person spotted Keijiro they screamed and the music was immediately shut off with all eyes on them. He almost wondered why until he remembered he was literally holding someone hostage.

There was a bit of awkward silence before Keijiro decided to speak.

"Where do they take newcomers or whatever you call them here?" He then remembered what that man told him earlier. "And where is Handler?"

"Do you mean Hatter?" One person asked.

"Yes."

They pointed to one section of the building and Keijiro nodded a thanks to them before leaving. When he was out of viewpoint Keijiro could hear the music being turned back on and he shook his head.

Keijiro then entered the main lobby area which was as big as Michael said, unaware of two people observing him from the second floor.

"Ah, look!" Kuina smiled. "He actually made it."

"How fun," Chishiya said with no smile.

"Huh? I thought you said he was interesting." Kuina then spotted the guy Keijiro was "holding captive". "But it seems he's already causing trouble."

Keijiro found two wooden double doors that screamed suspicious to him so he burst through them to see multiple people standing around two people tied to a chair.

"Keijiro!" Fujitaka instantly cried out with his hands tied behind his back.

"I told you he wouldn't let this slide," Michael said, confidently.

One man with sunglasses wearing a colorful beach jacket welcomed Keijiro with open arms. His hair fell to his shoulders and he gave a big smile.

"So this is Keijiro. Our hero!"

Keijiro stared at the man in disgust then looked down at his hostage. "I'm gonna shoot him now."

Another man in glasses stepped forward. "Unhand that resident now."

The man in sunglasses only laughed. "Don't be so hard on our guest." He glanced at a man in a tank top who honestly looked pretty intimidating. "He'd fit right in with the militants, don't you think so, Aguni? Now that Niragi's gone and all."

The man, Aguni, only stared at Keijiro with a cold expression. Keijiro then threw his hostage to the side and tried approaching his friends but yet again another man covered head to toe in tattoos lunged at him out of nowhere with a sword.

Keijiro blinked then snorted before covering his mouth. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh." He gestured to the guy. "What is this?"

The guy pushed the sword closer towards him but Keijiro was unfazed.

"Ooh, I like him," a woman with long black hair and bangs said while another man beside her agreed.

"Interesting indeed," another woman with short hair and sunglasses said.

"Now now," the man in the beach jacket silenced them all and the one with the sword backed down. "Let's not scare away our new friends."

"I don't know about friends," Keijiro said then gestured to Michael and Fujitaka, "but can you let mine go?"

The man chuckled then waved a hand and the one with the sword cut the two free. Fujitaka immediately rushed to Keijiro's side.

"Ah, where are my manners." The man smiled, "my name is Takeru Danma but people here call me the Hatter." He gestured to the people around him. "And these are my beach executives: Kuzuryu, Mira, Ann and Mahiru."

Hatter then gestured to Aguni and the guy with the sword. "Aguni is in charge of the militants and last boss is one of many."

Keijiro looked over at the man with the sword. "Last boss? That's a lame name. Change it."

Last Boss attempted to charge at him again but Hatter stopped him.

"Uh, what exactly is this place?" Michael asked.

"It's paradise," Hatter dramatically announced, "you're free to do whatever you want here. Drink, party, sex, drugs, you name it. We only have three rules."

"What are they?" Fujitaka asked meekly.

Hatter began to pace back and forth slowly. "Rule number one, you must always have on a bathing suit."

"Why?" Keijiro asked.

"You can't hide firearms in a bathing suit," Mahiru explained.

Keijiro's eyebrows furrowed. "You absolutely can but whatever."

"Rule number two," Hatter continued, "you are free to live your life exactly as you wish."

"That's... good," Michael said, unsure, "I guess."

Hatter then looked the three in the eye. "And rule number three. Death. To. All. Traitors."

"Traitors?" Fujitaka questioned.

"No one may leave once admitted to the beach and all cards must be given to the top one resident which is me." Hatter snapped his fingers and Ann along with Mira slid open the wall in the back revealing huge images of each playing card with some crossed out.

"Why do we have to give them to you?" Keijiro asked.

Hatter laughed a little. "It is believed that once all the cards are collected one person will get to leave this country."

"One?" Fujitaka asked.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Country?"

"The fact that we've been given visas means this is a country," Hatter explained, "every person here has a rank. We follow that order until every person is eventually sent home."

"That could take years judging by how many people are here," Keijiro said, "and speaking of rank..." he pulled out the key bracelet the man gave to him earlier. "This guy gave this to me and said to tell you that he forfeits his position."

"Forfeit?" Hatter shook his head. "Like I said in the rules, no one can leave the Beach."

"Well, he killed himself so I'm pretty sure he just did."

The room fell silent and Hatter scratched his head. He then held out his hand and Kuzuryu walked over to Keijiro, taking the key bracelet and giving it to the leader.

"I see," Hatter said, staring down at it, "why would someone in seventeenth position throw away their life?"

"He said something about a hearts game," Michael said and once again the room fell silent.

"This is a true loss, I suppose." Hatter sighed then clapped his hands, already feeling better. He then laid eyes on Keijiro. "I will allow you to take his place as seventeenth in rank if you cooperate." A few executives made noises of disagreement at that but said nothing.

"Well, let's get to it." Hatter held out his hand once again and Keijiro stared at him.

"What're you doing?" Keijiro figured he should ask.

"Your cards," Hatter said as if it was obvious what he's asking for.

"I think you mean card," Michael said, "we only have one."

"One?" the woman with short hair, Ann, spoke up, "are you new?"

"I think this may be our sixth day, right?" Fujitaka said.

For the first time, Aguni spoke but it was only directed to Hatter. "Are you sure we should be taking them in? If they're new then they're useless."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere." Keijiro took the six of spades card and gave it to Hatter willingly, not really caring about it. "I want a bath and I want food."

Hatter examined the card. "Six of spades on your first day?" He then turned to the playing card board and his eyes widened. "Ahah!"

"It's a new card," Mahiru said with surprise. He then went over to mark it off.

"Ann go get our new residents some new clothes," Hatter ordered and the woman left the room. "Mahiru, give them their bracelets and show them to their rooms."

Mahiru nodded then headed towards the doors, beckoning the boys to follow.

"I guess I could use a hot shower," Michael murmured.

"I wonder if their beds are soft," Fujitaka said, hopefully.

Keijiro went to follow them but Hatter stopped him.

"Ah, ah, Keijiro you'll be staying behind for a moment."

"Nah," Keijiro said walking over to his friends but a shout from another person stopped him once again.

"Is that the way you speak to your new leader!"Aguni approached him, "you kids today seem to have no manners but that will surely change the longer you stay here."

"Strange," Keijiro said, stepping closer to the man, "you're speaking to me as if you're the leader here." He then glanced at Hatter and whispered. "I think he's trying to take your place."

Aguni grabbed Keijiro forcefully by the collar and Michael ran over to try and separate them.

"Aguni that's enough," Hatter declared and it took a second for the man to let go of Keijiro. "I advise you two get your act together since you'll be on the same team now."

Keijiro did a double take. "Wait, what?"

"Congratulations!" Hatter cheered. "You're part of the militants now."