Round Two Begins

The scent of damp earth and pine, usually a comfort, now hung heavy with the unspoken dread of Ground 17, the designated area for players. Yuka found many were there already, and instead of speaking with them, she chose to ignore them and rested in a corner, far away from people. The less I know these people, the better. 

The sounds of chirping birds, leaves rustling softly in the breeze, but it didn't last long before Ruri wrapped into existence, his figure overpowering all five senses as he looked at the number of people down below. “Welcome survivors to round two. It is your lucky day because for this round, you are about to play the easiest game!”

He flew around the area, from group to group as if expecting a reaction of sorts but nobody said anything. They stared at him warily. “Boring. The previous group was much more engaging. Don't you want to hear how easy it is?”

Yuka rolled her eyes. I will get that rat one day. 

“Whatever, I'll explain the rules. The game has two—no three— ah, four simple rules?” Ruri cut himself off. “We will have two groups, a player who hides and a player who seeks; Hide and seek.”

Yuka furrowed her brows as people murmured among themselves. She remembered seeing the live footage where they chased after a girl and killed her. Was that it? They will get paired up and the seekers need to kill the hiders?

“But, there is a twist!” Ruri twirled around happily, his eyes crescent, the malice shined through. “We have thirty-one players in here right now. Among the thirty, only ONE player needs to die. So it's thirty versus one. We will have thirty seekers. ” 

The reaction now was explosive. “Only one? Did I hear that right?” 

“Only one player will die?”

“Isn't this unfair to the one player?” 

Yuka stood up from her position, speechless by the outrageous setup. Thirty seekers? She can't wrap her head around how this game was meant to be. Why do I have a feeling I'll be the one player who gets to hide? An ominous feeling settled in her stomach. She clenched her fist, trying to control the anxiety that suddenly hit her.

“To keep things fair”— nothing that came out of his mouth was fair, Yuka digressed—“you will randomly pick a ball from the ballot box down below.” His nails pointed at the ground where there was a small tent.

“You will enter the tent one by one to keep the identity of the hider a mystery. If you get a green ball, you are a seeker. If you get a red ball, you are a hider. The hider will get a thirty minute head start to hide anywhere in this forest. The seeker will wear a green vest, the hider a red vest to represent the team.” Ruri started the explanation and then paused to let it settle in. 

“Notice how I said to represent the team? That's right, the hider can build a team if they can poach someone from the green team to join their side and the moment there is mutual approval, the color will change to red. If you choose red and the green team doesn't kill both of you, everyone in the green team dies.” 

Ruri giggled in a sickly amusement. While Yuka stared dumbfoundly. Who is coming up with these ideas? So it's possible that more than ten could die in this game. But…the green team is at a bigger advantage. As long as no one is dumb enough to switch teams and everyone aims to kill red, the green team wins easily. I have to be on the green team. It requires high persuasion skills to even convince one person to switch sides. It felt like it was an attempt to not make it noticeable that the hider IS the sacrifice. If she was red, she would definitely fail.

“Have the red team ever won?” Her head turned towards where the voice came from. Leaning on a tree bark was a young, tall man with piercings on his lips, nose, and brows, wildly short and messy hair, a black turtle neck, sleeveless shirt, trousers and matching boots, who asked arrogantly. It seemed she was not the only one who noticed the hider is the worst position.

Ruri seemed a little surprised. “Oh… it's not everyday I get this question.” 

He smiled. “The truth is, the hider almost never wins, and THAT'S the fun part. In the two years I've conducted this game, there were only five cases in which the hider won.”

Five? She needs to be on the green team. She bit her nails as she grinded on them. 

Ruri paced on the air back and forth as he recalled the case. “The infamous K incident that shook the sponsor. K was the only hider who killed everyone in the green team to win. He was so powerful and skilled, it's no wonder he is in the top ten spot. Then there was also Asuna. She was a rare exception where she hid throughout the entirety of the game, leading her to win by default. And the other was Allen Vult…”  he trailed off mid sentence, suddenly shifting the conversation. “You don't need to know. I would say the explanation is enough to start the game so let us begin!”

He clapped as a timer on the wall showed 40 minutes. There were guards instructing them to make a line so each player got a minute to pick.

There was a moment of silence before people quickly rushed to the tent, trying to decrease their odds of getting red by being the first ones to go in. Yuka also started to run to get in the line that started to form. She counted how many people were ahead of her–ten? That guy from earlier was the first in line. It didn't take long before her turn came, she took a step forward, and found two guards on each side of the ballot. They were there to make sure they didn't switch their color and document who might be the hider. Yuka let out a sigh as she stood before the completely solid colored ballot. She couldn't see inside because of the black cloth surrounding the hole. She put a hand in, circling the balls as her heart started to beat faster and faster in her chest. She kept circling the balls, trying to get a feel.

“Your time is almost up.” The guard reminded and she pulled out her hand, clutching the ball. She took a breath in before she turned her hand around.

The colour she got was….

…

…

…

Green.

__________________________________

Hayato mused in thought as he was almost the last in line. There is a way to win as a hider but the problem is- a flash of Yuka shooting at him as her words echoed in his mind. He pressed his lips together and bit them. There are too many selfish and self-centred players for me to consider persuasion. If I consider my abilities, my chances of winning in red is 60%. My flying and healing abilities are helpful, except I don't know how to heal yet, and I suck at flying. He is currently better off as green.

“The next person, come in.” Hayato got in as he grabbed the first ball.

The colour he got had him pause. It was….

___________________________________________

Yuka sat near a tree bark, choosing to nap instead of play. There are twenty nine, there is no need for me to do anything. They can deal with it. It didn't take long before her paranoia brought her back to reality. What if the whole round finishes and nobody finds them? Can I leave my life in the hands of others? There is no way twenty-nine people can’t find one person… but-but what if it was possible? Yuka let out a frustrated sigh as she stood up, looking at the timer that always shone on the sky: 4:45

What a cursed life! She started walking before jogging. I need to prepare myself to kill again. Her stomach twisted, but she ran to subdue it as she looked around for a branch. It’s either me or them and I will always choose me. 

She picked up a thick twig, staying bent down as she sharpened the thinner part of the wood on a stone to make it sharper. The ability I picked will barely be useful in this round. She cursed under her breath as she looked at the twig again. This should be enough before it breaks. I just need one good hit in.

She stood back up and surveyed the area. There was a huge map on the gathering area that showed the entire island. If she goes to the highest point, on the hill, she might be able to look down at everyone and their position. She had four hours to find that hider.

She continued to jog upwards, preserving her energy. It didn't take long before she was at the top, overseeing who are in the area. She could see people in green below. Where was Red? Come on Red, show up. They probably found a place to hide already, but I'm sure they are getting worried that it might not be a good spot. 

Suddenly she felt a shift in the wind… She looked up, in mid-air, someone with red hair and heterochromia eyes flew fast down in her direction. He had a…. Green vest, so he is an ally, yet... What is this? This unsettling feeling? Like I'm in danger? Yuka missed his crash down by a breadth. He landed ungracefully but twisted in time to throw a punch. Her hand twirled the twig, and without hesitation, she stabbed it into his neck, shock overtook his expression. “What the-”

He held his neck, and Yuka immediately threw herself back in time to avoid his punch and used her leg to kick him off the hill, as she fell on her behind. She scrambled in a hurry to look down. He toppled down rapidly to the edge and fell off the small cliff, falling three meters to the ground. Hayato cried out in pain, as the twig embedded itself deeper into his neck. Yuka… she is a monster. He thought as his eyes rolled, blacking out.

“What was that?” Yuka looked down, where the body lay, in curiosity. “He looks dead but why would he attack me when we are in the same team? Am I surrounded by idiots?” 

She was angry about what happened, but instead, decided to move on from it. “That moron made me lose my weapon.” 

She dusted her pants from the fall as she refocused back on her mission. “I shouldn't let him distract me. I need to find Red—”

From the corner of her eyes, she saw a glimpse of red. They were far but she can see them taking a spot to hide. Bingo. She grinned as she immediately sprinted to catch them before they found another spot to hide. She will end this game now. She is worried about their supernatural ability, but she will test it before she gets too close. 

Trees and mud blurred, the bushes and stones bleeding into each other as Yuka approached the hider’s spot. It seemed like they sensed her because they started to leave it, running away from her. Yuka blinked in confusion at the back of the figure as she ran after them. 

Aren't they… a lot smaller? It looked like the person didn't even reach her height. They looked way, way, shorter. Is that a… is that a child? Yuka almost staggered and fell if she didn't catch herself in time to rebalance. From the side, she saw another green vest chasing after the hider. 

The little hider, in her panic, looked behind her, to see who was chasing her and that's when Yuka saw her face. Her breath got stuck in her throat as her eyes widened.

That was Ayate Misuki. Hayato's twelve year old sister and her biggest fan.