Hope Always Dies Last | Chishiya [English]

Run, grab, shoot

I could see the light from a distance.

The small office building practically stood out from the crowd, could not be missed. I slowed down the closer I got.

Fear spread through me, although after a short time I managed to swallow it down. I couldn't let my emotions control me now, or I was vulnerable.

"You must never express yourself emotionally, do you understand? People exploit emotions to manipulate. They become vulnerable and can be defeated in a very short time."

I squinted my eyes and hoped that my professor's voice would disappear. Oh damn, why was he in my head over and over again?

I was getting closer and closer to the building. Carefully, I approached the entrance before taking one deep breath and then daring to take the next step.

Beep.

There it was again, the noise! I had not imagined it; it had really been there!

I tilted my head and lo and behold....

...a laser barrier. You could really see it if you looked very closely. Now it was also explained why the man was shot as soon as he had left the playground.

I turned my attention back to the entrance hall, which now stretched out in front of me. There were already some players there, I counted eight, with me nine. There were exactly two phones left on the table. I walked up to it and grabbed the second to last before ducking into a corner. The attention I was given at that moment left me with an uncomfortable feeling.

Face recognition in progress!

The familiar bar appeared again.

Player "Nohara Neiru" recognized!

Visa days: 2

Five minutes until the end of registration!

I decided to ignore the wrong name this time. There was no point in getting upset about it now anyway. Instead, I used the time to look around the entrance hall a bit and size up my teammates.

I spotted two girls whispering to each other. They were only lightly dressed, which surprised me a little. Was that a bikini top? I let my gaze wander and eyed a businessman who kept wiping his forehead with a cloth. He seemed nervous, but I couldn't blame him. I was nervous too, even if I could hide it better.

Next, two guys entered my field of vision who also seemed to know each other. They were athletically dressed, so they didn't seem to be beginners either. That could be good, as well as bad. Next to them stood an older woman with her handbag, staring at her cell phone. I paid no further attention to her, but my gaze slid on until it finally lingered on a young man. He was also rather lightly dressed and.... was that a shooting rifle?! Okay, I definitely had to be careful. Where did he even get that thing? Surely, according to the Firearms law, all weapons had to be kept safe!

I was so agitated that I didn't even notice the ninth player. My gaze caught him rather by chance. Just like me, he was standing off to the side and seemed to be listening to music.

Wait... what?! How was that possible? Electricity didn't work, even newer technologies like MP3 players and cell phones! It was a miracle that the cell phones of these locations turned on, although I was sure that they had been manipulated.

My look practically sucked up his existence. Over and over again I tried to assess him, but somehow I didn't really want to succeed. His presence itself was a mystery to me.

It beeped and my gaze automatically wandered to the entrance. My eyes widened a bit when I saw who stepped through the door.

This was not good at all...

Another guy with a rifle had just entered the building. His face had piercings, his black hair was tied back in a braid. Like some others here, he wore only light clothing, his silk shirt standing out especially from the crowd. But what I liked least was the expression he had on his face.

He reached for a cell phone and then eyed the crowd just as I did. His gaze lingered on me a little too long. But to my surprise, he didn't say anything, he just grinned.

The registration is completed!

The game begins now.

Number of participants: 10

Game: Run, grab, shoot!

Difficulty: 4 of spades

Time limit: -

Rules:

Each player is given a number on their display.

When the number is called, the players with the same number line up on the markers.

The goal is to reach the weapon in the middle first.

The player who can grab the gun first has one minute to shoot the other player.

The player without the gun has one minute to escape.

Game Over if you get shot.

Game Over if you don't hit the object in one minute.

The use of other weapons is prohibited.

A shooting game... you had to kill other people?! I looked up and immediately noticed the shocked faces of some of the players. What worried me, however, were the faces of those who didn't seem to be afraid. Yes, some were even grinning with anticipation!

The numbers are being distributed now!

I lowered my gaze again. My screen flashed briefly until a three appeared.

You are player 3 [1]!

I was about to... shoot a person. Sure, I'd held a gun before, I knew how to shoot.... But I had never tried it on a live object. I had only trained shooting in the real world to be able to protect myself in emergencies!

Could I even shoot someone?

Yes, because otherwise I would die myself.

I had no other choice, I had to either shoot or run. There was simply nothing else left.

Players 1 [1] and 1 [2]: please move to the markers now!

I watched as the guy who had come in last slowly started to move. He was grinning mockingly. Without question, he would survive. That's exactly what the businessman seemed to think when he saw who he was up against.

The markers lit up as the two players took their places. I just couldn't take my eyes off them. I had the urge to watch.

Round 1!

Niragi Suguru vs. Kento Satoko!

A dangerous silence settled into the entrance hall, and I felt like I could feel my nerves with every movement.

On your marks...

That Niragi was grinning dangerously at the businessman.

Ready...

"Ready to die?" his voice sent a chill down my spine. The man looked at him with wide eyes.

"You psycho-"

Go!

It happened so fast that I hardly noticed it. It wasn't until the gunshot echoed through the hall that I realized the businessman was dead. This Niragi hadn't even batted an eyelash when he had pulled the trigger.

The older woman cried out in horror.

I just gulped.

Yep, life really wasn't worth anything here anymore.