The Jack of Hearts | Chishiya Shuntaro

6

Sorry for the late update but I had to study :D 

I hope you are still here

Enjoy xx

The panic of realizing that one of their own had been intentionally left to die was slowly beginning to engulf all the players. While everyone else seemed to be gripped by fear and panic, Ippei appeared to be feeling something different. He looked sad and hopeless, and I wanted to help him, but I didn't know how to start. In these game conditions, asking, "Are you okay?" would sound strange and out of place.

"Hey, Ippei, I remember you mentioning you're an art student, right?" After some thought, I tried to start a conversation using information from our previous small talk. We were sitting on the floor in the main section while Chishiya stood up. "What's your major?"

"I'm studying fine arts but my area of interest is mostly painting," he replied, offering me a slight smile.

"Ah, that's interesting. You must really like it then."

He nodded. "Yeah, it was scary at first because it's not like being an engineer or a doctor, you know. But all my friends supported me, and now I feel like it was the right choice."

"That's great," I said, genuinely impressed. "I'm sure you're very talented."

Ippei blushed at my compliment, but I could tell he was pleased. "Thank you," he said, his eyes lighting up. "And what about you? Do you like to paint?"

I smiled. "I love art; I sometimes draw amateurish. I don't think I'm good at drawing, though."

Ippei clapped his hands excitedly, grinning widely. "That's okay! You should try drawing with me sometime. After this game, we can practice together. I'll teach you!"

I laughed at his enthusiasm and felt a warm sensation in my chest. It had been a while since I had laughed so genuinely that the sound of it felt unfamiliar to my ears. Ippei's infectious energy made me want to take him up on his offer. "That sounds like a fun idea," I said, smiling. "I would love to learn from you."

Ippei's smile grew even wider, and I felt happy knowing that I had made him so pleased. We chatted about art, and Ippei shared stories from his life in the real world. But my smile faded when I noticed Banda watching me from across the room. I felt uncomfortable with his intense gaze and quickly returned my attention to Ippei. However, as time passed, I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched.

I discreetly glanced at Banda again and found him staring at me intensely again, his eyes seeming to bore into my soul. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and my heart began to race. He tilted his head with a slight smile and then left the guardroom, walking slowly towards the stairs going down. It felt like he wanted me to follow him. Although I didn't want to, I had to keep in mind our deal, so I said, "I should use the restroom," before standing up and going after Banda immediately.

I mentally prepared myself for him to try and scare me again. I was sure he enjoyed seeing me scared. As I walked down the corridor, searching for a clue as to where he might have gone, I thought about what tactics to use when facing him. So far, all the people who had died had fallen victim to either Urumi or Banda. But Urumi wasn't the jack because if this was a heart game, the jack wouldn't make himself an easy target or play his cards openly to the whole group. Banda's method was different from Urumi's, and that's why he was my number one suspect.

And that's why, although I didn't want to talk to him, I couldn't ignore the possibility that he might be Jack. Even if he could physically harm me, I reminded myself that he couldn't kill me. He didn't know me, so he couldn't do anything other than scare me psychologically. Everyone was panicking, and no one was thinking logically about finding the jack. I felt claustrophobic in this place and wanted to do something.