Alice in Borderland: The Cycle Continues

14) Six of Diamonds [1] ✮

===Charī Kasutoro===

Call me lazy. Call me dense. Call me a slacker. And, well, it'd be correct.

At least, that's what I reflected, as the principal's gaze bore into my own.

"So, Charī," she began slowly, putting away a few papers. "Why do you think I've requested to see you today?"

"My grades." I said bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," she trailed, clasping her hands and resting it on the table, "it goes a bit deeper than that. I've been made aware of your performances in the shogi and robotics club. It's clear you have limitless potential, so I'm confused as to why your grades don't reflect that."

I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words.

She filled the silence. "I just really want to see you be the best that you can be, Charī. Spring term finals are a few days away, and I want you to at least put some of the effort into them that you manage to put into your extracurriculars. I know you're capable of doing so."

I nodded.

"If you score as poorly as you did in your midterms, then your grades won't be sufficient enough to keep you at this school. You have to remember that this is an elite school."

I nodded again. 'If this is such an elite school, how were my grades good enough at one point to get me in here?'

"Thank you Charī, that is all."

I thanked her and left, answering my own question in my head. 'Well, of course you know how you got in, your grades were extraordinary in middle school. Then obviously you had to dial it down because—'

My thoughts stopped. Maybe it was the gust of wind from an open window, or the clamoring of students exiting the classrooms at the day's end. Regardless, I couldn't remember what I was talking about in my head. Something about my perception seemed off, like I was suddenly detached from my body. I stared at the blue-gray carpets and yellow walls, a bit lost in my head. Shrugging it off, I made my way home.

The ambience of the city crowded my thoughts, yet just enough space for thought remained when I saw a suited man walk into a building. The walls were black, and a velvet carpet led into its spotless revolving doors. An array of windows lined the skyscraper, and I craned my neck to look at the very top.

'A building like this. That's how it all begins. Hyobe is promised easy money to pay off his student loans. All he had to do was walk into a building like that. Anyone who managed to clear all twenty floors would get one billion yen.'

A blaring horn interrupted my thoughts as the force of a tug pulled me back. I had nearly walked onto the street.

"Pay attention!" The grandma who had pulled me away scolded. "I'm sure you were deep in thought, but don't jeopardize your life, okay?" She looked into my eyes.

"Sorry. Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, I re-entered my daydream. 'First floor, The Floor is Lava. They're all barefoot. A physical challenge without much need for a brain... Except there's a twist. The amount of land will decrease over time, but any surface between skin and the floor will suffice. They can literally just crawl on their knees and it wouldn't count as touching the lava! But if they touch the lava... Death.'

I arrived at my house. By now, the sun was a hazy red, casting long shadows down the street. Reaching to turn the handle, I stopped momentarily and strained. My ears caught the sound: yelling. I sighed; it was probably another argument.