Alice in Borderland ~ Chishiya

5 - ♣3

'Arena?' I ask in shock. 'Obliged?' I see a kind of transparent red rays connected together. They go from one side of the pillar at the entrance to the other. My eyes get stuck on the pierced pen, but I don't have much time to think about it. The boy who entered last walks past me and says in a compelling voice: 'Come on.' The girl follows him and I complete our group of five.

What just happened? The girl threw the pen outside the area and it was pierced by a laser beam. Would that have happened to me too, if I had stepped out? The last two people each take their own phone. Their names are announced: Mai and Taree. I hear a short jingle, followed by the female computer voice announcing: 'Registration is now closed. The game starts now. Difficulty: three of clubs.'

'Three,' Yuri repeats, giving us all a quick glance. He now seems to let go of his exasperated, somewhat hostile attitude. I don't know why, but he no longer seems to regard us as enemies.

What game starts now? I look at the others, but they keep their faces down, staring at the screen of their phones. I follow their lead. 'The game is fortunes,' the voice says. An emergency meeting starts immediately. 'Fortunes?' Toshi asks. 'What could that mean?' He looks at everyone briefly, even at me. How am I supposed to know? I'm only here for the first time, while the others have apparently done this before. Besides, no one wants to explain to me what's going on, so I'm not saying anything.

'Rules and clear condition,' the voice says. 'Each person draws a fortune card and carries out whatever task on it. If even one person fails to complete their fortune card by the time the lanterns go out, it's game over.'

So far, it doesn't seem impossible to me. The others don't seem to be stressed about it as well. 'Whoever draws a fortune card,' the voice continues, 'answers the question posed. For each wrong answer, the difference to the correct answer is given in flaming arrows.' Flaming arrows? What does that mean? Will there be a fire show at this festival?

The other participants stiffen up. Now the stress hits them, but I still don't understand. They gave the impression that they had never played this particular game, but now they all seem extremely concerned. 'The game starts now.' Immediately, a light shines on one of the tables in the middle. I see some kind of box on it, with an opening that you can go through with your hand.

'So everyone should draw a fortune card and do what it says on it,' Yuri repeats. 'Every question must be answered and everyone must have had their turn before the lanterns go out.' The moment he says that, two lanterns hanging on the lines fall out in sync with each other. The stress hits Mai and Taree even harder. 'We have to hurry!' the girl shouts as she rushes to the box. I don't understand why she's in such a hurry. The lights are not all going out yet. Still, I follow the group to the table.

I want to ask them what is meant by flaming arrows, but Mai already puts her hand in the box and pulls out a piece of paper. "Good luck" is written on it. 'You have been given permission to remove and destroy the garlands from the restaurant.' We all look at the piece of paper, but there is no question written on it. Mai turns the paper over several times before shrugging with relief and looking up at us questioningly, as if she wants to ask who is next.

"A little bit of luck" Taree's paper says. It has a series of numbers written on it, followed by a question mark.

"1 + 4 = 5
2 + 5 = 12
3 + 6 = 21"

I can't read which sum is being asked, because the other four participants are bending over the question and blocking me from it. I'm getting annoyed. I'm good at series of numbers, because I've had to practise them for years. My parents don't think I'm making any sense of it, but they don't know that I'm making them think that on purpose.

'Let me see,' I join in, but they don't want to listen. Why would you listen to someone playing this for the first time, right? I try to bend around them. In the end, they're so occupied with discussing about the answer, that they leave the paper on the table and I finally manage to look at it. I can also read the last part now.