BLUFF [AIB]

Stage One: XVIII

[Started: 1/4/2023]
[Ended: 1/5/2023]
[Song: GAMASTER by Yutaka Yamada.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE ONE: Rubatosis
"The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat."

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Chapter Eighteen
"Now Would Be A Good Time To Be Anyone But Arisu."
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     Kuina waited outside at the arch way, waiting for Chishiya and Y/n. She paced back and forward guilt eating at her. The plan Chishiya created wasn't was she expected and he had kept certain elements from her. But in the end he had got the cards.
     The two came around the corner joining Kuina. Y/n immediately noticed her friend's discomfort. "Are you okay?"
     Kuina sighed. "Yeah, I just feel bad."
     From behind Y/n, Chishiya shook his head at Kuina as if telling her to shut up.
     "Feel bad about what?" Y/n frowned.
     "Arisu was caught trying to break into the safe. Only the cards were kept in a different place. Arisu basically got caught so we could figure out the real location." She explained looking guilty.
     Y/n slowly turned to Chishiya. "You set up Arisu?"
     He didn't admit it and avoided eye contact. "Shit happens."
     Her lips curled into a snarl. "I don't know if you noticed but Arisu is my friend."
     Chishiya prepared himself for her worst. Which she was gladly about to give him.
     "You sacrificed him for a stack of cards that will get you nowhere. I know your smart enough not to believe Hatter's bullshit, why take the cards? You barely have any regard for your own life, it's like you don't care if you live or die!" Y/n face twisted in anger as she went on.
     He looked back at her his brow furrowing almost with jealousy. "I didn't realize you cared about him so much."
     "It would be all the same if it were you...." Y/n seemed to calm down. "Leave without me. I'm going to save Arisu."
     She turned to leave but Chishiya grabbed her wrist. "Wait, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's smart, he'll get out of it."
      "And if he doesn't?" She ripped herself away from him. "Could you live with his blood on your hands Chishiya?"
     Without waiting for an answer Y/n disappear around the corner. Chishiya turned to Kuina. "Did you really have to tell her?"
     "She deserved to know." The girl glared at him.
     "That's true." He nodded sighing loudly. "It was a better reaction than I was expecting."
    She crossed her arms. "What kind of reaction were you expecting?"
     "I thought she was going to hit me. Maybe severely injure me." He shrugged.
     Kuina shook her head in disagreement. "She wouldn't do that to you."
    "How are you so sure?"
     Rolling her eyes at him she moved to leave. "Because she cares about you, a lot more than you would expect." She stopped before entering the arch way. "You know what she told me about your last game?"
     He just stared past her intently.
     "She had the last token and she was going to give it to you. She said it was because she didn't think she deserved to live over you. But she also said it was because she cared about you." Kuina explained.
     "Don't move." Chishiya told her as he took off his wrist band. He threw it at the archway and lasers shot it down. The red grid became visible and the impossible became reality.
   Kuina stared in shock. "Oh no."
"Difficulty, 10 of hearts."

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     Everyone gathered in the hotel lobby. On the floor was the body of a dead girl. A knife stuck out of her abdomen and blood trailed down her side. A white table with a pile of phones had been set up. One by one everyone picked up a phone until every last member was joined in the room.
"Game, Witch Hunt."
"Find the killer and put their body in the fire of judgement before the time runs out."
"You have one hour."
"There's a bonfire outside!" Someone yelled.
"Momoka!" A girl dropped to her knees by the body seemingly grieving her dead friend.
While the others were processing the news Y/n slipped through the crowd over to Usagi. She tapped her should making the girl spin around. "Ha, for a second I thought you had betrayed us."
Y/n shook her head with a smile. "That's not my style."
"We need to find Arisu, he'll know what to do." Usagi stated.
"I know."
Also in the crowd was Chishiya and Kuina. The two of them watched as Y/n conversed with Usagi only to get surprised when the climber girl moved from her spot. The militants had approached the dead girls friend claimed she was the witch. Usagi stood in between them followed by Mira.
"Everyone here is a suspect." Usagi claimed. "Do you have any proof Asahi is the killer?"
Ann stood up from examining the body. "Everyone should be questioned."
"Hey! She has blood on her!" Someone pointed at Ann from the crowds
"I can explain this." Ann said holding up a cloth. "This is Hatters blood, I was examining his body. He was murdered using the same bullets as the militant core."
One of the girls in the crowd clutched her phone tightly. "Then that means the witch could also be the one that killed Hatter. And they could be one of the militants-!
Suddenly a sword stuck through her abdomen from behind. She crumbled to the ground as last boss stood there. "I found her annoying."
Then the crowd began to split as Aguni and a few militants appeared. Y/n moved to stand by Usagi.
Aguni looked around blankly. "All I know is I am not the witch. So everyone else is a suspect." He turned to look at everyone. "So reveal yourself!"
No one said anything.
"If you won't come out we'll just have to find you by killing everyone. One by one."
As soon as Aguni said that Niragi let off shots into the ceiling. He laughed maniacally as everyone scattered.
Usagi took Momoka's hand pulling her away from the mess. Y/n quickly followed them.
The sounds of guns going off rang through the hotel. The loud banging almost served as a reminder that death was coming. Like rats the members of the beach ran from the militants. It seemed the only people not worried for their own lives were Y/n and Usagi. Who found themselves running through the halls looking for Arisu.

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