GAME AFTER-English Version

15-The Jolly

I'm just disturbing you for a moment, dear readers.

In this chapter you will find a part of the story that will be accompanied by music, so just follow the instructions ▶️/ ⏸ to know when to start it and when to stop it ;)

Enjoy the reading!

KIYO'S POV

As soon as we crossed the portal, we were hit by a very strong blue light, after which we found ourselves, I don't know how, on the terrace of a building. Judging by the air blowing, we must have been very high up.

The sky had turned a dark red, as if someone had picked up the airbrush and decided to paint the clouds. Huge card symbols appeared here and there; Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs loomed over us and gave me some anxiety. Then, right in front of us, in the sky, a giant card appeared, a bit like the ones I had seen hanging from the blimps, when my mind superimposed the videogame scenario onto one I had invented myself, mixing them together. It was the Jolly; it was practically identical to the Joker of the door, but in this case it was in black and white and it was smiling at us with that creepy smile of his.

"Where the hell are we?" I asked, squeezing Chishiya's hand."I have no idea." He too looked around. "What a strange Game..."Shortly after, we heard the metallic voice, which I sincerely hoped was the last time I'd hear from it.

Game: Leap into the void

Difficulty: Jolly

Clear Condition: Jump off from the building, down into the void. If the trust you place in the other is totally reciprocated, the Game will be over.

Time limit: Absent.

"Should we jump off the building then?" I walked over to the railing and looked down. "But it'll be 50 floors, we'll die for sure."

"Kiyo, calm down." Chishiya came up behind me and stroked my cheek.

I looked at him. "What if this is the end?" I asked him seriously.

"I don't think so". He smiled at me. "The voice said that if we trust each other equally, we'll win the Game."

"Yes, but it's the Jolly. Maybe it's all a bluff or maybe it's a metaphor." My concern was mounting as the minutes went by.

"What do you mean?"

"That is perhaps a metaphor for our life...if we jump, maybe we'll die, if we stay here, we'll be stuck in a coma, forever."

"Well, neither prospect seems very appealing." Chishiya chuckled.

"Chishiya, I'm serious!" I softly slapped his arm and smiled.

"Sorry." He smiled at me too. "But I think you're wrong."

"You think or are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He took me by the hand and led me to the center of the building, then he sat down and motioned me to do like him. "The Jolly is a test of trust in my opinion."

I looked at him, waiting for him to continue explaining his idea.

"If we trust each other completely, by jumping we'll overcome the Game and then wake up together; instead, if we decide not to jump or if only one of us jumps...well, I think we both would remain in a coma. It must be a decision we make together."

"Do you really think it's that easy?" I looked at him puzzled.

"Actually, trusting another person completely is one of the hardest things ever." He answered, looking at me. "Metaphorically speaking, when you blindly trust another person, it means that you would be willing to put your life in their hands and it's the exact same thing here...only, they translated the metaphor literally and transformed it in a Game."