The Master straightened in his chair, tapped his cane lightly on the floor, and said in a quiet voice that carried more weight than a thousand screams:
–"Congratulations… You have won. Or rather, he won. The one who put the ball in the hole wins twenty points."
The hall fell silent for a moment before everyone looked at Mouse.
He lowered his head and looked at his metal wristband;
the numbers rose: 71 points.
He felt no joy, no sense of victory, only a strange heaviness in his chest. He slowly raised his head to find the faces of his teammates injured, exhausted, bleeding, and all their eyes fixed on him. Some looked at him strangely, others with suspicion. Even Yuko, who stood up high, had eyes glistening with a question no one else dared to ask.
But Mouse didn't answer, didn't justify himself. He stared into the void as if something else was chasing him.
The Master continued, heedless of the wounds of the winning players or the tears of the losers:
–"As for the rest of the winning team, each member gets three points."
The members of Team 11 looked at their wristbands; the numbers were pitiful, not exceeding thirty. Some smiled bitterly, others bit their lips.
The Master delivered his final judgment:
–"As for the losing team… you have lost everything. And therefore… you will die."
Seconds hadn't passed before the wristbands on their arms transformed into instruments of death. From within them emerged small blades like mechanical beasts, spinning at a frenzied speed, cutting into their owners' flesh. Screams rose, fragmented human shrieks between terror and pain, until they filled the room. Blood splattered on the metal floor, eyes widened in horror, before everything ended in a sudden silence, as if death had swallowed their sounds all at once.
The floor Team 11 stood on began to rise gradually, and the poles slowly retracted into the walls, reconstructing the place as if nothing had happened. Team 11 exited the room, weighed down by blood, sweat, and dark thoughts.
In the corridor, Ryuji suddenly spoke, looking at Mouse:
–"Well done… You put the ball directly into the hole. But… why didn't you give it to Yuko?"
Mouse sighed, then answered coldly, without looking at anyone:
–"She was trembling."
Yuko lowered her head in shame and pain, but Ryuji turned towards her and said:
–"Raise your head. You were our strong point in this round. All of us… Kenji, Shinji, Miko, Katsuro, Hiroshi, and finally Mouse. We all worked together, and we will all pay the price for any weakness. I know those who died had their dreams, their goals… but we have dreams too, and if we don't fight for them, we will be the next victims."
Hiroshi wiped the blood from his face with his cane and said in a hoarse voice:
–"He's right. Any hesitation means the death of one of us. And here… no one shows mercy."
The twins shouted in unison with an enthusiasm that hid their fear:
–"Long live Team 11!"
They returned to their room through the long, dark corridors, led by the red glowing arrows on their wristbands. When they entered, it took only seconds for them to succumb to sleep from sheer exhaustion. The sounds of snoring mixed with the groans of wounds and stifled sobs. Katsuro, despite his strength, cried in his sleep, while Miko turned her face to the wall, trying to ignore everything.
But suddenly, the silence was broken by Ryuji's loud scream:
–"I saw it!"
Everyone woke up in alarm. The twins asked together:
–"What did you see?"
Ryuji sat up, panting:
–"I saw the Upper Dimension… as if we were all there. A place different from this hell. No ragged clothes, no foul air, no dark walls. Everything was bright… clean. I didn't just see it, I felt it… as if it's coming."
Mouse smiled a small, unbelieving smile and lay back down, but Ryuji's words stirred Katsuro, who said:
–"I had the same dream. I was there… among different people, no scars, no stench, no fear. But… suddenly I saw you guys. You were shooting at each other."
Silence fell. Glances were exchanged quickly, and hearts grew heavier.
Miko said in a sarcastic tone that hid anxiety:
–"Maybe they're planting these dreams in us. They want us to turn on each other. Don't you feel these wristbands do more than just count points?"
Mouse shook his head slowly:
–"It's possible. These wristbands aren't normal. They have other functions… functions we haven't discovered yet."
Moments later, metallic knocks cut the silence. The twins ran to open the door. The automaton entered, carrying a food tray, its lit eyes empty of any emotion.
Kenji jumped and asked it eagerly:
–"Hey, you! What's the next game?!"
But the automaton didn't answer. It placed the food on the table and turned slowly.
Kenji screamed:
–"Eeeeh! It's hinting! The next game is about food!!"
Yuko laughed, a spontaneous laugh that broke the heavy atmosphere, and everyone started laughing despite their wounds. Even Mouse smiled, but his smile soon vanished as he touched his swollen, bruised face.
He got up from his bed, picked up a piece of bread from the food, and headed towards Yuko. He extended his hand quietly, without saying a word.
Yuko looked at him, puzzled:
–"What…?"
He moved his hand closer to her.
She said,flustered:
–"Why… are you giving it to me?"
Mouse exhaled and said coldly:
–"You exerted more effort than I did… but I took all the points. Consider it compensation. Plus, I can't eat because of the pain, but you can. Points and food… both keep you alive, so make sure you get some of both."
Yuko looked into his eyes carefully, then whispered:
–"I've seen you somewhere… but I'm not sure. Or maybe someone who looked like you… with black hair."
Mouse turned his face away slightly, then said as he pushed the sandwich toward her:
–"Take it."
He returned to his bed, lay down, and closed his eyes before muttering:
–"Keep your voices down… we need to sleep."