ii. "Is this really a game?"
season one, episode two
𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 a cleared up space, Akari saw Sakura cooking eggs for them. They had been holed up in the furniture store for four days. Sakura didn't want them playing games because it wasn't necessary but their visas were going down.
Throughout every day they had figured out what their lives meant in this reality. Sakura used to walk the streets of Tokyo at night and one night she ran into a woman. The woman was the one to explain to Sakura what visas were, the suit of the card, and the numbers. The number of cards were their days left to live, they had 6 days. The suit was the difficulty, clubs were teamwork, diamonds were wits, spades were physical, and hearts were physiological.
"Where'd you get those?" Akari asked, a smile plastered on her face.
"Some grocery store a couple blocks away." Sakura said, filling up two plates with eggs.
Sakura handed Akari a plate and they both sat in silence. A thought lingered in Sakura's head, unsure if she should say it or not.
"Uh, I've been thinking and our visas are running out." Sakura started, Akari watching her. "So tonight I'm going out. Just me, though."
"What? Why only you?" Akari complained. "My visa is running out too."
"I know but we've only played one game. I go out tonight and see what type of people are out there and what kind of games we might run into. Then the next day I'll take you out with me. Okay?" Sakura explained, the girl nodding.
"Okay. Try not to be out for so long, it's scary here at night."
"I'll try."
Sakura gave the teenager a soft smile which was returned by Akari. Sakura had never shown this much emotion to Akari yet and maybe this is why they have awkward silences every night.
★★★
Walking out of the mall, Akari watched her from the top floor balcony before heading back into the store. Sakura sauntered around the city, stopping at the front of a glowing billboard. She followed the way it told her to go in and walked into a building, seeing five other people. Funny.
The three men all shouted as Sakura walked towards them, furrowing her brows at them. Grabbing a phone, it lit up in her grasp and Sakura saw the timer end.
Registration has closed. The game will now commence.
"Game?" A young school girl said, confused about what's going on.
Game, "Dead or Alive." Difficulty, Three of Clubs.
"Three of clubs?" A guy with a button up said. "What does that mean?"
Rule. Select the correct door within the stipulated time.
"What?" asked a guy with a blue shirt.
Clear condition. Leave the building within the time limit.
The elevator behind them opened with a ding and a white wall was revealed with the words "start" on it. Sakura didn't hesitate to walk in, a woman right behind her.
"You'll die if you keep spacing out." The woman said, snapping the others back into reality.
The schoolgirl followed in their steps, standing in the elevator with them. The men stuck together, crowding in the elevator while it carried them up.
The time limit for this room is two minutes.
The timer started and they all walked into the room. Looking around Sakura saw nothing but two doors, one with the word live and the other with the word die.
"What's this?" Orange flannel asked, his friend sparing him a glance.
"To live or to die." The woman said.
"Is this really a game?" Button up asked with a smile on his face. "This is kind of starting to get a little exciting. I'm sure this must be some kind of event."
Button up held his phone up and began recording the game. Just her luck. She's stuck with clueless people who think this is just some fun harmless game. Or maybe they do know and are just psychotic. Either way Sakura still wasn't sure if she should risk it tomorrow with Akari.
"I want to go home." The school girl cried.
"It'll be fine. You're with us! Let's win the game, get the prize, and go home."
"The prize?"
"I was hoping that we'd get one."
One minute remaining.
"Arisu. Which do you think it is?" Flannel asked blue shirt.
"Well if it's a choice between life or death, I wouldn't choose the skeleton." Arisu said, turning back to Sakura and the other woman. "What if we choose the wrong door?"
"The answer is live. Open the door that says "live." The woman confidently answered.
"How do you know that?" asked Arisu.
"Because obviously, it's the "Live" door!"
"And if it's not?" Sakura spoke up, tilting her head to the side.
The woman merely stared at her, lost for words but thankfully button up took the attention from her.
"Do you guys smell something?"
Everyone inhaled at his words and Sakura recognized the smell as smoke, telling her that their time is running out.
"Hey, look down!" Flannel shouted, everyone looking down at his panicked words.
"Fire?"
30 seconds remaining.
"The answer is "Live"! Hurry up and open the door!" The woman cried out.
"Open it yourself!" Flannel shot back.
"What will happen if the time is up?" Button up asked.
"We die, goddamnit!" Sakura shouted, her voice overpowered by the woman's.
"We have no time. Hurry up!"
"Why do you think that's the answer?" Arisu questioned.
"Clearly, we can't choose die, can we?" reasoned button up.
Twenty seconds remaining.
"I can't stand it anymore!" The school girl cried out.
Running forward, the girl pushed open the "Live" door and was immediately met with a laser. The laser shot through her head and she fell to the floor, the door slamming shut.
"Did she die?" Button up said, his voice soft and hesitant.
Everybody stood there, staring at the door but Sakura snapped back into the real world and ran towards the "Die" door. The woman was right on her heels which sent a chain reaction of everyone following Sakura. Everyone but button up which led to Arisu yanking him in while flannel shut the door.
The time limit for this room is one minute and fifty seconds.
"She really died. What the hell is this?" Flannel said.
"You were the one who killed that girl." Arisu spoke, walking to the woman.
"But we survived because of me, right?" The woman fired back.
"What?" Flannel shouted.
"Go on. Hit me. If you guys keep spacing out, you'll die too." The woman said, Sakura completely agreed with her.
Sure the school girl died because the woman gave them the wrong answer but thanks to the sacrifice they lived. The woman did but the friend group of men almost died cause they spaced after seeing the death.
"Do we choose "Die" here, too?" Flannel asked, obviously frustrated and annoyed.
"Since the last one was "Die" the next one should be "Live." Arisu theorized.
"Yes. It can't be "Die" twice in a row." Flannel agreed.
"But it's hard to choose "Die."
"I see. I'm sure that this is a game for us to choose a sacrifice within the time limit." The woman concluded.
"Sacrifice?" Sakura questioned.
"There's probably no meaning to the doors. What's important is who's going to open it. They're telling us to choose one person within the time limit."
"You sacrificed that girl just now. Why don't you open the door next?" Arisu suggested.
"I believe if I were to survive, it'll be for the good of all mankind."
"Don't you feel bad talking about that?" Flannel cut in.
One minute remaining.
"No one's going to open the doors at this rate. Everyone's going to die from the fire when the time is up!" Arisu stressed.
"Then why don't you open it?" The woman fired back, holding her head high. "Why ask someone to open it? Do it yourself! You also want to let someone else do it!"
Coughs began to erupt from everybody as smoke slowly filled the room. Sakura was growing fed up with all their bickering. If they kept it up nothing would get done and they would all die. Sakura couldn't do that when she knows Akari is waiting for her back at their base.
"I'll open it." Arisu said.
"Arisu!" Flannel called out yet was ignored.
Arisu looked between the two doors before setting his gaze on Die and walked towards it.
"Stop, Arisu. Don't be provoked by her!" Flannel continued to yell.
"I'll open the door, damn it!"
His hand grabbed onto the handle yet lingered there as he couldn't bring himself to do it.
30 seconds remaining.
"Arisu!"
Arisu stood there before falling to his knees while he cried.
"See? You can't open it. Even you would have sacrificed that girl!" The woman gloated.
"Shut the hell up!" Flannel yelled once again.
Twenty seconds remaining.
"I'll do it. He's got bad luck anyway."
"Karube!"
"But we'll take turns! You'll be next after me."
Ten seconds remaining.
At that warning Karube slammed the door open and was fortunately met with nothing. Sakura ran through with everyone else and they all gasped for air.
The time limit for this room is one minute and forty seconds.
"The time limit is shortening each time." Arisu said, noticing the shorter time limit.
"Yeah, no shit!" Sakura retorted.
"I can't do this anymore." Button up cried, staring at his phone screen.
"We're taking turns." Karube recalled. "You open the door next."
Everyone looked up at the woman as she met Karube's stare and backed into a door. Grabbing ahold of her wrist, Karube dragged her to a door of his choice.
"I'll choose the door."
"Wait."
"Live."
Karube threw the woman at the door and she hit it with a loud slam.
"Open it!"
"Stop it! You guys are wasting our time by starting these unimportant fights!" Sakura said, snapping at the two.
Karube backed away, taking a deep breath while leaning his head back. The woman looked at Sakura while she quietly whimpered, thanking her silently.
"Do you have any ideas, Arisu?" Karube asked.
"Ideas?"
"You always say that there's a solution in every game, right?"
"This isn't a game."
"You must know what to do! You've always solved puzzle games that I could never do. So do it!"
"This is not a game, Karube. It's all about luck here."
"Think, Arisu!"
One minute remaining.
"There might have been a hint somewhere. First, we went into this building."
"Stop it already!" The woman called out.
"Then, the elevator took us—"
"I can't do this!" Arisu freaked out.
"Don't give up, Arisu! We can't reset!"
"It's impossible, I'm telling you!"
"I can't do this anymore." Button up cried once more.
"I'm telling you to think! I've been working my ass off while you were just playing games."
"What does that have to do with this? You only know how to beat people up. What makes you so big?"
"Well I'm sorry about that."
Smoke rises into the room yet that didn't stop Karube from escalating his fight with Arisu. The blonde landed a punch on Arisu's cheek, the male hitting the floor while the third friend held Karube back.
"Wait a minute." Arisu gasped.
"What's the matter, Arisu?" Button up softly asked.
Thirty seconds remaining.
"BMW 523d. It was a BMW 523d." Arisu said, his thoughts taking over.
"So?" asked Karube.
"The answer is "Die."
"How do you know that?" Sakura questioned, wary that Arisu might be wrong.
Ten seconds remaining.
"There's no time!"
"I'll open the door." Arisu decided.
"Arisu! Are you sure the answer is "Die"?" Karube asked.
Shoving the door open, Arisu was deemed correct when no lasers shot down. Arisu cheered for himself while everyone sprinted into the room.
The time limit for this room is one minute and thirty seconds.
"What's going on? Do you know which it is now?" asked Karube, looking at his friend for answers.
The male didn't reply; he instead began to look around the room in thought. Sakura sat down while she could, Arisu finally explaining to them yet she didn't understand anything he was saying.
One minute remaining.
"Is there something I can write on?"
Was the only thing Sakura understood yet still took a second to process what he said. Button up handed him a pen while the woman handed him a piece of paper. Everyone surrounded him while Sakura sat to the side, knowing she was only going to drain him out.
"The answer is "Die"! The "Live" door is a trap!" Arisu concluded.
Standing up Sakura followed after them, shutting the door as the room emitted flames.
The time limit for this room is one minute and twenty seconds.
"If your reasoning works we'll be able to survive!" Karube celebrated, a grin evident on his face.
"You're awesome, Arisu." Button up praised.
"This game is not based on luck. We can clear it together!" Arisu encouraged his peers. "According to my drawing, the next is "Die" too."
Running into the room, the friend group cheered at their friends' wits while the woman grinned at Sakura. Sakura gave her a thumbs up, not bothering to celebrate until they were out.
The time limit for this room is one minute and ten seconds.
"What's next?" asked Karube.
"It's "Live."
Cheering once more, they celebrated their friend while Sakura shut the door. Karube celebrated with button up while Arisu's face dropped as he looked in front of him.
"Never celebrate so early." Sakura comment, seeing the look on Arisu's face.
The time limit for this room is one minute.
"There's no door in front." muttered Arisu.
"What's next?" Button up asked.
"Since the right door is out of the question, should we choose one on the outer wall?" The woman asked.
Everyone went towards the "Die" door and Sakura watched them, leaning back into the wall.
"Wait! I might have missed something."
Fifty seconds remaining.
"There's no time to waste! We'll die!" The woman cried.
"You didn't even open the door!" Karube remarked.
"You were the one who pushed it into me." The woman fired back.
"Give me a break!"
"Chota! You took a video in the first room, right?" said Arisu.
"We have no time for that!" The woman complained.
"Just do something!" Sakura something.
Thirty seconds remaining.
Watching the video, Arisu deduced that the correct answer was "Live" due to the fact there was no door where the school girl died.
Running towards the door, Karube shoved it open and everyone ran through it. Unfortunately, some of the fire clung onto Chota, igniting his pants in flames.
The time limit for this room is ten seconds.
Karube complained at the time while he helped put out the fire on Chota's leg. The woman ran towards the "Live" door but was quickly stopped by Arisu.
"It's not "Live." It's "Die"! Don't be tricked by the question!"
Standing by the door, Arisu waited for Chota to stand with Karube's help before pushing it open. Finally at safety, Sakura walked down the steps and sat on the bottom one.
Game clear. Congratulations.
"It's all thanks to you guys. Thank you." The woman breathed out, trying to catch her breath.
"This must be retribution." Chota said.
Standing up, Sakura walked away from the group but stopped at a table that held a card. Just like ghost cemetery she had found a card based on the suit and difficulty she had just played.
The brunette grabbed onto it and everyone huddled around her, staring at the card. A melody played from their phones and Sakura held it to her face.
To the survivors of the game, we will now supply you with a visa. We will now supply you with a three day visa.
"Visa?" Arisu repeated in confusion.
A clatter in front of the made the group look up and through the darkness spot a man.
"I'm going to...drop out of the game! You guys. There's no end to this game, no matter how much you clear. My visa ends today. Finally...this is the end."
Not even second after he finished a humming was heard before the man fell dead after receiving a laser to the head. The lights in the alley all powered off and Sakura began walking away.
The group followed her yet paused momentarily by the guys body while the woman explained visas and to them. Looking up, the group saw that Sakura was already halfway down the alley and ran after her.
"Where're you going?" Arisu asked.
"Doesn't matter to you." Sakura said, her voice harsh just like it had been with Akari when they first met.
"Shouldn't we stick together?" Chota suggested.
"Yeah, you guys. I'm fine on my own." Sakura grumbled, growing annoyed at them.
"It's smarter to stick together. We all know what's out there and can get through games together." Arisu said, hoping to convince the brunette.
"Whatever."
Sakura continued walking back to the store with the rest of them behind her, praying she was leading them to a safe base. Fortunately for Chota, the walk back wasn't long and Sakura left them in the dust once they stepped foot into the mall.
Racing up the steps, Sakura bent under the metal barrier and walked into the store. She weaves her way through the lots of furniture while everyone else crawled in.
"Sakura?" A young voice called out.
"Akari. You okay?"
Nodding Akari grinned at the woman, hugging her for a quick minute before letting go.
"I made us some food not that long ago. It might still be warm." Akari proudly spoke.
Sakura looked over and saw Akari had made them two bowls of soup. Grinning at the young girl she softly thanked her right as the group stopped in front of them.
"Who are they?" Akari gasped, moving behind Sakura.
"I played with them. They followed me here but they're harmless." Sakura explained, reassuring the young female.
"Oh, sorry we didn't mean to interrupt." Shibuki said, noticing the girl.
"It's fine. Look, I'm fine with you guys staying since you're already here but I want you to make use of another spot. It can be over there or in the front or even in another store but Akari and I stay in this section. Yes you can take beds and we'll share our stove so you can make food and I'll give you guys something to help Chota. Okay?"
"Thank you." Arisu spoke, expressing his gratitude.
"There's food in some stores around here if you want but there's also some other grocery stores and pharmacies around here."
The group all nodded before taking off to find somewhere to spend the night. Akari softly smiled at Sakura as they sat down and began to eat their soup. The atmosphere was not awkward but instead comforting.