Akagi’s frustration seems to be reaching its boiling point as he relentlessly tugs at the door handle, pulling it with all his strength.

Despite his efforts, the door remains tightly shut, as if it is mocking him.

“Come on, why won’t this damn thing open?!”

The more he tries, the angrier he becomes. He has probably tried everything he can think of, but nothing seems to work.

The door won’t budge, no matter how hard he pulls.

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

“Calm down. Let’s regroup and come up with a new strategy.”

Shirayō’s cool-headedness has an immediate effect on the rest of us. We all breathe a collective sigh of relief, grateful to have someone else take charge.

"Maybe there’s a mechanism we have to operate.”

“Like what? If we don’t figure that out, we’ll die before we even try a goddamn room!”

“I get it; this is a hopeless situation, but maybe the exit won’t open until we’ve beaten a certain room.”

The situation is still dire, and everyone is aware of the fact that time is running out.

“At this rate, there’ll be no survivors…”

Kimura mutters bitterly.

I sigh heavily. There are so many uncertainties and unknowns. But with the absence of information and the increasing anxiety, this will have to suffice.

Akagi seems determined to try every door in the room, even though it is becoming increasingly evident that none of them will open.

“Do you think the gun has anything to do with it?” Kimura, who is watching from a distance, asks.

“The gun? You aren’t sayin' we have to kill someone to open a door, are you?”

“No! Of course not!” Kimura hastily clarifies.

“Well, then what the hell could it mean?! We can’t solve any riddles or mechanisms without walking through a goddamn door! Which is currently impossible right now cause' they're all locked.”

“I meant maybe the gun has a key or a code in it.”

“It’s just a theory, but think about it, Akagi. We have tried multiple solutions, and nothing has worked. Maybe this gun is the key to unlocking the door. It could have some sort of hidden compartment or engraving that reveals a code or a clue.”

Shirayō takes a deep breath and speaks with a calm and captivating voice.

“He may be right.”

She turns towards Ayumu, who is standing beside her.

“We can’t dismiss any possibilities at this point.”

Ayumu nods in agreement and gazes down at Kimura with a pensive expression.

“If the gun is related, it must be in a way we haven’t considered.”

“Well, guess we’ll check then.”

I take the gun from its resting place and begin examining it closely.

The metallic grip is cold to the touch, sending shivers down my spine.

As my fingers brush against the grip, I notice a tiny code engraved on it. It’s so small that I almost missed it. I squint my eyes and lean in closer to get a better look. There’s definitely something there.

“There is something…” I mutter, noticing a tiny code engraved on the grip.

Everyone huddles around me like a bunch of conspiracy theorists, examining this tiny numeric code on the gun.

“Great, now what?!”

“Door ‘G’ has an input pad on it.” Yume reveals.

We all turn to look at the door, and sure enough, there’s a small keypad next to the handle. The keypad is old and worn, with faded numbers that are barely visible in the dim light.

“…And no one pointed that out?!”

It was as if everyone was waiting for someone to speak up to break the tense atmosphere.

Though, instead, we quickly make our way towards the door, our footsteps echoing loudly in the silent room. I take a deep breath and punch in the numbers. The input pad flashes green with a high-pitched beep, and the door slowly opens with a creaking sound.

The air’s thick with a musty smell, and I can feel the dampness seeping into my clothes.

The input pad then reveals another piece of information, which reads:

Maximum Capacity: 3 Participants. Difficulty Level: 4 of 9

“Only three people can enter… Does anyone have a preference on who should go in first?” Ayumu asks the group.

“I’m not going if Agaki-san’s going. That fuckwit would probably get us killed.”

I can see the rage in Agaki’s eyes as he clenches his fists tightly, ready to jump to Sai’s throat.

“Listen here, you piece of—”

But Ayumu intervened, trying to keep peace.

“Let’s settle this peacefully!”

“Fine. How about you, Kimura?” Agaki responds.

Kimura looks hesitant, his eyes darting around nervously. He’s clearly scared, and who can blame him? We’re all scared, I think. This game could kill us, after all.

“Um… I really don’t want to; I’m really scared about what could happen, especially since the game master could kill us…”

Agaki rolled his eyes dramatically and turned away.

“Whatever, you’re dead weight anyway. We should just have Ishida-san and Shimizu-san enter.”

Akagi’s words are like a slap in the face, and I shoot him an icy glare. Is he trying to set me up for something?

“We should decide fairly, Akagi-kun.”

Ayumu’s voice is stern, and I can tell that her glare is directed at him, not me.

“Okay, who wants to enter the first room? Please put your hands up.”

Shikaku raises his hand, and I can feel a sense of relief wash over me. I know he’ll keep us safe.

Akagi arrogantly thrust his hand into the air, clearly enjoying the attention.

Seeing Shikaku-sensei raise his hand, I hesitantly follow suit, not wanting to seem indecisive. I can see the satisfaction on Akagi’s face, and I wonder if I misread his expression. It’s hard to tell sometimes.

“Well, it’s been decided. Shikaku-sensei, Akagi-san, and Shimizu-san will be entering the first roo—”

“Be safe, Hikari-chan, and don’t you dare die on me! I won’t forgive you if you do.”

Yume’s grip on my arm tightens; her worry is tangible.

“I need you to promise me for real. No empty reassurances. This place… it’s terrifying. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Yume’s gaze lingers on me, her expression a mix of fear and hope; I shift uncomfortably, the weight of Yume’s concern pressing on me.

“Yume-chan, I… I can’t promise something like that. This place is messed up, and I don’t have all the answers. I’m scared too.”

Yume’s grip tightens, her expression desperate.

“But we have to have some plan, right? What if things go south? What then?”

I swallow hard, searching for words.

“I don’t have a grand plan, Yume-chan. All I can promise is that I’ll do my best to navigate through this chaos. It’s terrifying, and I’m not some superhero. I’m just as lost as everyone else here.”

“I… I want to believe you have something in mind, Hikari-chan. But this place, it’s so unpredictable… What if…”

Her voice trails off, leaving the unspoken fears hanging in the air. I understand her anxiety; we’re all facing the unknown, and the uncertainty of our situation is daunting.

“What if the rooms are rigged? What if there’s something more to this game that we don’t understand?”

I take a moment to consider her questions, realizing that voicing my own doubts won’t help. Instead, I focus on being a source of comfort.

“Yume-chan, I can’t promise that everything will be easy or that we won’t encounter challenges. But I can promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we both make it out of this.”

Yume’s lips quiver with a hesitant smile, appreciating the sentiment.

“Okay, Hikari-chan. Just… be careful. And if things get too dangerous, prioritize your safety over everything else, alright?”

I nod, grateful for Yume’s concern.

“I will, Yume-chan. And you stay safe too. We’ll meet again on the other side of this room.”

I try to sound confident, but my voice comes out as a shaky whisper. I turn back to face the front, feeling a little more reassured by her words.

However, Shikaku-sensei remains silent throughout the process, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. I can feel the tension in the air as we descend into the unknown.

We take a step down the staircase, and the rusty, metallic door slams shut behind us.

It’s a daunting feeling to know that we were venturing into the unknown with little to no support.

But we have to keep going; we have to face whatever lies ahead of us and overcome it. “Oi, whatcha think the others’re gonna be doing? I bet they ain’t gonna be safe for long.”

“What makes you say that, Akagi-san?” I questioned his pessimism, attempting to maintain a sense of hope.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? The only people in here are you, sensei, and me. What’s gonna stop the other idiots from killin’ themselves somehow, huh? There’s a fuckin’ gun in that damn room!”

“Why would you think they’d do that?! They’re our classmates! We can’t give up on them!”

I try to argue back against Akagi’s accusation without success.

“You may be an idiot, but that doesn’t mean everyone else is, too. They’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“Silence, you two! We’ve arrived.”

Shikaku-sensei’s authoritative voice halted our exchange as the massive door screeched open, revealing a square room with a partially see-through grate floor.

Just what I needed to fulfil my lifelong dream of peering straight into the abyss.

The sudden grinding sound behind us marked the door’s closure, trapping us in the room with no further knowledge. The gravity of the situation became apparent as Akagi muttered a concise “Well, shit.”

The moment that door slammed shut, my heart hammered against my ribs like it wanted out, but my exterior, oh, it played cool.

There’s a digital clock on the other side of the room, above what I assume to be the exit door, reading ‘9:09’ beside what seems to be a timer ticking down from ‘10:00’.

The walls surrounding me are rough, jagged rock and brick. However, they are painted with what appears to be a pattern of red paint in a numeric sequence. As I glance around, I notice four levers positioned on the left and right walls under the sequences, which could potentially be used to trigger something important.

To the left of the exit door lies a massive crate with a metallic black safe above it, locked tight.

Akagi takes a few feisty steps forward, approaching the safe with a hardened glare.

“This safe… It’s gotta have somethin’ important inside, right?”

Akagi and Sensei exchange looks, probably plotting how to crack open the safe, but my mind’s too busy screaming, “Get me out of here!”

My knees are shaking like jelly, and I’m trying to play it cool, but this room feels like a cruel joke designed to expose my deepest fear.

“Oi, Shimizu-san, you alright? You look paler than a ghost.”

Akagi’s voice cut through my spiralling thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thrilled to be standing on what feels like a bridge to my demise.”

“You scared of heights or somethin’?”

I look away, silently acknowledging his spot-on observation. Heights terrify me, and this see-through grate floor doesn’t help. It feels like I’m standing on a tightrope between life and a bottomless pit.

Akagi, that self-absorbed mess, struts over like he’s the king of the world; everything gets fuzzy as he approaches. My palms are slick with sweat, and my heartbeat is echoing louder than his voice.

Suddenly, his foot connects with a tile, and it breaks off, crashing down the pit.

In an instant, I lunge forward as Akagi slips and drops halfway down the newly formed hole.

“Akagi-san!”

Shikaku-sensei rushes towards us and grabs Akagi’s other arm.

“You moron, stop wiggling! You’re making this harder!” I snap, my voice sharper than intended. But who can blame me? The situation’s messed up, and he’s not helping.

He glares back, and I can see the fear in his eyes. For a moment, I forget the irritation, realising we’re all just clinging to this fragile existence, desperately trying not to slip into the abyss below.

“Easy for you to say, Shimizu-san! You’re not the one dangling over god-knows-what!”

My grip tightens on Akagi’s arm as he dangles precariously over the pit, his life hanging by a thread, or in this case, my desperate attempt at strength.

Shikaku-sensei’s got the other arm, but the dude’s heavy, and my muscles are protesting more than a kid at bedtime.

And then, like a sudden wave of déjà vu, Akagi slips a bit more, and my heart leaps into my throat.

I pull up as hard as I can with all my strength, and, for some reason, it feels easier to pull him up.

I yank Akagi with all my strength, and he finally lands on solid ground. The relief is short-lived, as the clock mocks us, ticking away. Akagi, bruised but alive, shoots me a look, and I can almost hear him saying, “Thanks, but don’t expect gratitude.”

I gaze at the timer, which now displays ‘8:51’. We’ve wasted more than a minute with Akagi, and as they remember that we’re on a time limit, I’m more focused on the fact that I did not once hear the panel hit the ground.

I must have missed it when I was pulling up Akagi-san… yeah, that must be it… Also, how are we able to see with no light source…?

“Shimizu-san! Get your ass over here!”

Akagi’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I force my focus back to the room.

Carefully, I stagger towards Akagi and Shikaku-sensei, trying to shake off the unease gnawing at me. The grated floor feels more precarious than ever.

“Sensei, any brilliant ideas on how to rout this room?”

Akagi shoots him a glance, seeking guidance.

He raises an eyebrow with an unreadable expression.

“We need to figure out the levers’ purpose and that safe. And quickly.”

“Actually, I want to know what’s in that crate. There’s an ‘X’ on it’s side.”

“That might be a good idea, Shimizu-san; I didn’t even notice that. You get an A in observation!”

Is this really the time for praise, Sensei?

We gather around the crate, the ‘X’ standing out like a warning.

My mind races; thoughts are jumbled and uneasy. I can’t help but wonder if this ‘X’ marks the spot where our troubles multiply.

“Alright, let’s see what’s in this thing.” Akagi declares, his hands ready to pry open the mysterious container.