hearts formed by solicitude and desolation

⌈ 4 ⌋

ᏞᎾᎪᎠᏆNᏩ . . . . .

ᏞᎾᎪᎠᏆNᏩ ᏟᎾᎷᏢᏞᎬᎢᎬ!

there were many things you learned about the world during your game, and as you walked back to the beach you took the time to think deeply about the information. 

for one, people had no choice when participating in games. the visa you received once clearing it made it obvious that once your days were up you'd have to throw yourself into another unless you wanted to die. you were also able to figure this out pretty quickly based on the amount of people there who had knowledge of the games, death and all, and yet still willingly walked into the venue. that also brought you to the other thing. people couldn't leave. you hadn't seen it yourself, but as you walked back you did notice the lasers that had flashed in the sky, the bright red glow disappearing just as quick as it had appeared. it made sense since the players who feared the heart games hadn't left despite the announcement or during the game itself.

there was also the basic things, like the type of games ren had told you about and the difficulty level based on the number. unfortunately you didn't know what type of game you were getting yourself into until registration closed, meaning you just had to hope for the best. you didn't know if there were face cards, you had only participated in one game after all, but you figured it wasn't likely since face cards hold higher value than the regular cards in the deck. and based on the way people reacted through the nine of hearts game, those numbers were as high as you could get.

you were a little frustrated at the little to no information you knew, however. you still didn't know who was behind it all and why you were there in the first place, but you figured at least you knew more than when you first arrived. it was a start to figuring out how to survive in this weird world and find your way back home. which brought you to another thought that had been itching in the back of your mind. you had only seen it briefly while on the balcony during the fifth round, but there was no doubt about it now that you were personally walking through the streets. japan seems to have taken a drastic change from the one you knew just yesterday. the plants growing and the layer of dust as if this place hasn't been touched in years was more prominent, and the question you thought of back then resurfaced. how is it that this place you came to only last night looks like it's been years since other people were here? better yet, how is it possible for other people to get here before you?

the sun had already risen by the time you made it back to the beach, and despite the long walk with just your thoughts you still hadn't found any more answers. your legs ached with each step and the throbbing in your arm hadn't stopped, not to mention you were tired and hungry after having not eaten since last night. but you were back, and the thought of finally being in a bed gave you enough energy to make it to the front entrance.

you walked through the same arches from when you first arrived, about to go through the doors when you were stopped.

"hey! where do you think you're going?" the voice yelled. 

ah, right. you were so tired that you had forgotten all about the guards up front. you and chishiya were able to sneak past them before, but now you completely disregarded the entire thing. you also had to consider the fact that you were alone and lacked the vehicle that took you to your game in the first place. you were the image of suspicion. 

you gave them a small wave and mustered up a smile, hoping that you wouldn't get into too much trouble, "i'm actually just returning from a game."