" so... that means no coffee for me? "
KAORI was planning on doing what she does every single day. Until fireworks and a strange blackout brought her onto a place where she would have to play some twisted games to survive.
" i don't know who's in ch...
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"DIFFICULTY, TEN OF DIAMONDS."
Kaori nervously bit her lower lip, considering giving up and walking out of the room right away. Through the course of her existence in what looked like an alternate version of the real world, she had never played a game with that level of difficulty.
And last time she had been in a hard one, her best friend had died.
"Game : The Fake Coin."
Near the opposite side of the room, a light was turned on to reveal a large scale —like the old ones that could be shown in old movies or in any grandparents' house, placed on a platform. In front of the scale, a pile of coins could be seen with twelve signs behind, going from 1 to 12, standing all over the platform.
Kaori noticed two desks with a laptop on each, facing one another, standing in the middle of the room.
And in a semi-circle, twelve chairs ranked from numbers 1 to 12.
"Rule : Find the fake coin," the voice announced, "Clear condition : Unlock the exit before the time limit."
Every player glanced at one another, still waiting for the game to become clearer. A large screen rolled down from the ceiling with a ranking system going from 1 to 12 and blank squares next to each number.
"Every player will be ranked according to their diplomas and overall academic level." The voice spoke.
Ranked by diplomas? What the fuck does that have to do with intelligence? Oh fuck, I'm screwed. Kaori was startled by a tiny chirping sound coming from the phone in her hand and her blood turned cold at the message showed on the screen.
YOUR RANK 9
Nine? Am I surrounded by a bunch of geniuses? 'Cause I know I dropped out of college but... oh fuck... What if the higher you're ranked, the more advantageous you are?
Around her, Kaori took more time to observe the other players, all of them now focused on the number written on their phone screen. Most looked pretty young, somewhat around her age, and a few were older.
Yeah... they wouldn't have a ranking system just for the looks of it. Or... they're using that to mess with our brains and crush or boost our confidence.
"The players will be called one by one to pick a coin, starting from the highest ranked," the voice added, "Each player can use their coin on the scale twice."
Kaori could already tell some players were eager when others already looked defeated before the game had even started.
"If they fail to find the fake coin within these two tries, they are disqualified."
Suddenly, the large screen standing above the scales revealed the identity of the player ranked first. The Beach's number Two.
From the corner of her eye, she watched him carefully walk to the pile of coins, taking a few seconds to inspect them before grabbing one and placing it in front of the sign named « 1 ».
