Alice in Borderland: The Cycle Continues

44.3) Side Story 3 - Eight of Hearts [3]

Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of self-mutilation.

===Zakū Raisunei===

I pulled Saiki aside, as the other two turned to each other, whispering. When neither of them were turned toward us, I bent down, picking up the knife I had dropped, and putting it in my jacket pocket.

Saiki wore a shirt and pocketless pants; I would've given the knife to him otherwise. I leaned in closer to him, until my mouth was against his ear. "I know you aren't the liar, obviously."

He met my eyes, little distance between our eyes. "I know you aren't the liar either, I trust you."

"So," I said, "if there's a liar this round, it has to be one of them."

He nodded. "We can't keep running and hiding."

"They'll never expect us to retaliate, and I think, personally, that we have the gift of underestimation. It's time we stopped hiding. We have to fight this round, if we are to survive." This whole time, I kept my eyes on the officers, are well as the weapons they had dropped.

Saiki pressed his mouth into a frown, but gave in, and nodded, his eyebrows firm and his fists tightening. "Alright. You can trust me for the physical confrontations."

The police officers had finished talking, and drew their questions. By this point, we had exhausted about half the envelopes in the bowl. "Difficulty eight—if you had to choose one person in this room to endure scaphism, who would it be?" The rookie asked.

He gazed at the three of us, hesitating. "Um... Myself!" With that, he discarded his question.

"Difficulty queen—if you had to choose one person in this room, and make it so that they would have no choice but to lie next round, who would you choose?" The policewoman asked.

My stomach bubbled, and I walked over to the bowl before she even said her answer.

And her answer was myself. As she threw her envelope away, our eyes connected, and I leered into her own. With a tight fist, I tore open my envelope, Saiki grabbing his while I read mine aloud. "Difficulty ten—who do you think was most likely the liar last round? You." I pointed at the police officer, without pause.

She scowled. "Why me and not him?"

"You seem more likely to betray him for your own gain than he is to you. He's in the same vein as you, but at least he'll remain loyal."

The rookie's eyes faltered. His pupils shot in her direction, jittering, before moving back to staring into empty space, his eyebrows creased in anxiety.

'A friendship is the most egalitarian relationship there is, yet there seems to be intimation involved in theirs. That man hasn't lost his sense of morals yet, but that woman would be willing to cross anyone to survive, including himself.'

Finally, Saiki opened his letter. "Difficulty five—who do you trust the most right now? Zakū, my friend," he said, edging closer to me, "without a doubt."

I knew it would come; I reached both my hands into my pockets, sighing. My right hand grilled the cold metal of the scalpel, as I leaned closer to the officers.

'No more hiding or running. This round, we will fight.'

"Round six has concluded. Someone didn't tell the truth this round. Someone has lied."

Again, I didn't hesitate, extracting the knife from my pocket and thrusting it forward into the direction of the rookie. He yelped, ducking, as I shot my other hand towards Saiki, passing off the scalpel from my pocket.