"ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴡʜᴏ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏɴʀɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ sᴇᴠᴇʀᴀʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇs sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇɴ."
Sora wasn't supposed to be in Shibuya that day. He was supposed to be home, enjoying his break from life, but the role of a lifetime - the...
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Sora walked casually into the lobby as people ran and cheered at the start of the games. Sora's arms were crossed against his chest, making his way over to Chishiya. He was leaning against a pillar. In passing, they were given their locations tonight. Sora looked at his piece of paper, seeing he'd be heading to Koto tonight. Sora slid the paper into his pocket, looking up at the Executives. "You not up there tonight?" Sora asked.
"Hatter wants me to do another game tonight to prove myself." Chishiya commented.
Sora laughed. "Hatter saw through you, huh?"
Chishiya said nothing as the other players started chanting Hatter's name. Sora sighed, shaking his head as Hatter controlled them. The players went quiet, allowing Hatter to give the same speech he did every night. "My comrades! The time has come again tonight. Do not falter! This is a war against fear! Everyone here has the courage to overcome their obstacles. Everyone here is now one!" Sora always found Hatter's speech at the start of every night forced. It was the same thing every night – and the poor suckers believed his every word. "We shall unite and gather all cards and return to the original world together! And... that day is upon us!" Hatter announced.
Aya looked down at her paper, seeing the Koto ward.
Chishiya looked into the crowd of people, seeing two people he had met before. Sora noticed that he was looking at the pair from the Tag game. "Yeah, they found the Beach last night." Sora said.
Kuina walked over to them, pulling out the cigarette she never lit from her bikini top. She placed it between her lips. "What's the matter?"
"I was in the same game as them."
"The two of them?" Kuina asked.
"Yes." Chishiya remained leaning against the pillar. "They might be useful. To our plan, that is." Chishiya, Kuina, and Sora looked at the pair. Yuumi noticed the three of them standing together, talking amongst themselves. Yuumi looked across the way to the new players who arrived. He wondered what they were talking about.
♡
Sora and five others arrived at the game location. Sora grabbed a phone, doing as he had been since the start of playing these games. They had over fifteen minutes before the registration closed. Sora could already see a small group of people there, and it looked to be a game that allowed a cap number of players. Sora stood off to the side, waiting outside of the building. Sora wasn't sure where they were, but it looked like the doors would remain locked until registration was closed.
Sora decided to look around at the other players. It looked like most of them were returning players. Only two, so far, looked new to the games. Sora had been seeing less and less new players and more familiar faces. He wondered if the new player rate was finally over. Maybe Hatter was right, they were getting close to going home. Now, Sora didn't fully believe Hatter's words, but seeing fewer new players, there was something going on to stop the frequency of new players.
