Time left: 1 hour and 35 min.

===Chihaya Korinsu===

My heavy breathing was the only sound–in fact, the only sense I could perceive–within the dark hallway.

I stopped, clutching my chest, leaning against the wall with my other hand. Taking a deep breath, my hands patted blindly around on the wall, until my finger traced over the light switch. I turned it on.

It was the art gallery; the seventh floor was amongst the least populated prior to the game, and it also served as an exhibit for exotic artwork. The main commons of the floor displayed various rows of paintings, while an art and ceramic studio laid at opposite ends of the floor. Many scholars and artisans resided here in the past world.

But now, the paintings had all been dismantled: some laying on the ground, some with holes torn throughout, some burnt, and some ripped into nothing but strands. Shards of priceless jewelry were scattered on the floor in their own dust, and the once ornamental yellow wallpaper sent a cold sweat down my neck.

"Hello?" I asked. The faint buzz of fluorescent lighting was all that replied. But my gut told me someone was in here. On light feet, I walked to the counter, looking behind it.

And there was Erina, crouched in the deepest corner, knife in her hand and torn paintings all around her.

"Oh... Hello there, Chihaya." She whispered, her voice hoarse. Some of Ryota's blood was still on her clothing.

"Hey boss. " I murmured, sitting down beside her, under the darkness of the counter. "So, you thought about destroying these paintings?"

"These were all priceless works of art. After I escaped from my initial pursuers, this is where I first thought to look. I kept the lights off, because who knows what someone'll do to me if they see me? People are still angry. I don't blame them."

I sighed. "It was... A cruel choice that you made. Though part of me... Resents you for that, I understand and can sympathize with the fact that you were simply trying to survive. Although... I don't think we're going to be leaving anytime soon, given that the cards have been stolen."

"I just am also so confused. Why did Ryota have to do that? Why did he... What made him do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, boss. It's clear he had no free will of his own though. In his final moments of life, he finally broke free from the restraints that have bound him and did something of his own volition. He was a brave man."

"I wonder if he left us a clue for this game in his final message." Erina theorized, before closing and rubbing her eyes. "Do you know where the others are? Any ideas about the Treasure?"

"No clue, we've been looking for you for the past while. I've seen a lot of people theorizing that the cards are the Treasure, but I'm not sure."

Just then, the sound of tumbling feet came. I ducked deeper into the cabin, silencing myself.

"H-Hello?"

I shot up. "Rafferty!"

He turned around. In his group were Niko, Judumai, Gabura, and Aoyama.

"Finally!" He said, jogging up to me. Rafferty rested a hand on my shoulder, giving me a firm smile, before turning to Erina. "There's a l-lot w-we have to talk about."

"Where's Benkei?" I asked, pulling Erina out from under the counter.

"Finding Tori." Niko answered.

"Erina." Rafferty said, pulling her up and staring her down straight in the eye. "W-We don't w-want to hurt you, w-we just need t-to talk to you s-since you're the best chance w-we have at clearing this game."

Erina nodded, smoothing out her shirt–shirt? I shook my head; my mind was unused to seeing her without formal outfitting.

"We found a copy of the Nine of Diamonds in your safe, below a false bottom." Niko said, as Rafferty pulled the card from under his coat to display to her. "Nobira didn't find it and–"

"Nobira? He stole the cards?"

"Yes. Maindo was a conspiracy to steal our cards." I explained.

"Nobira stole the cards and made it out of the Beach." Niko continued. "As we speak, people are currently using shotguns to signal SOS and get him to return, or to alert someone else to fetch him."

Erina nodded. "I... I understand. So Kazetani, Nobira... they all–well, I guess I'm not one to speak of betrayal."

"So, a-anyways, w-we found a copy o-of the Nine of Diamonds c-card under a false b-bottom in the safe. Wh-What's that about?"

"The Nine of Diamonds." Erina said. "That game... Was special. It was where Ryota found the necklace he gave me." She said, touching the red diamond that laid on her neck. "I wanted to give Ryota something special in return, so I decided to use the Nine of Diamonds card itself, and have it be pressed into some sort of jewelry or ornament. He loved the idea, but I never ended up having the chance in the last few weeks; I couldn't decide on how to give it to him."

"So there's o-obviously some sort of connection between the Nine of Diamonds a-and Ten of C-Clubs." Rafferty stammered. "Both i-involve finding something special. Something n-not like th-the others."

"So what at the Beach doesn't fit in? What is a fake that stands out?" Judumai questioned.

I sighed. "That... Still leaves virtually infinite possibilities."

"B-But w-we're honing in."

"There's no proof we are!" I said, throwing my hands out. "I think it's time we accept the fact that there's no hidden dots or overarching clues–just an extremely clever Treasure that no one would think to find."

Niko sighed, crossing his arms, and started to pace around the room. "He's right, Raff. They would be too generous to leave us with such an overarching clue. There likely are clues, but they wouldn't be so grand or obscure. It would be something no one would think to look, right under everyone's noses, just like the Treasure itself."

"So, we're back to square one?" Judumai asked.

"Looks like it." I finalized.

"No... I think I heard some voices this way." An older voice said. "Follow me–come on!"

A man with thin, wispy hair and a snowy mustache came into view, followed by four other young teenagers, no older than middle schoolers. Perhaps even younger.

Hideo Uyeda

Tutor

Specialty: ♧

"Oh!" Rafferty said. "Hideo! Nice catching you h-here!"

Karamu Toshiaki

Student • Parkorist

Specialty: ♤

Rose Chimako

Student

Specialty: ♡

Hanna Yume

Student • Chess Champion

Specialty: ♢

N

Student

Specialty: ♤

"Um... Hi... Children? What's up?" Niko asked, looking between us as if lost for directions.

The girl with the prosthetic hand–she told everyone to simply call her N–waved, staying silent.

"We were looking for you guys!" Karamu said, bouncing forward. "Kazetani has important news!"

"Yes!" Hideo said, smiling and patting him on the back. "They've found Nobira's body."

His expression turned grim as he faced us. "He died–was apparently struck by the laser. But he died on Beach grounds–it's a long story!"

"Huh?" I asked.

"Apparently their getaway car crashed, so he made his way back to the Beach to avert suspicion, opting to hide the cards on him rather than where the accident was–it makes the most logical sense. So if we pull his body back from where he was lasered while trying to leap back into the Beach, the cards are guaranteed to be there, and we can then destroy the cards! A lot of people are gathered in the lobby–time is running out before it floods completely. Come on!"

"I guess we should go." Gabura said. "What about Erina?"

"Erina, it'd probably be safer if you stayed here." I said.

She shook her head. "I'd be safer going with you guys. If I'm alone, it's only a matter of time before someone else arrives on this floor. People hate me and want to hurt me–I don't blame them."

"Come on then, Erina. Let's go." Gabura snatched Erina's hand and pulled her along, as the rest of us followed behind. The starwell was close, but once we arrived, the steps had turned into a cascade from the shower of water that sprayed from the ceilings.

"Careful!" Rafferty shouted. "Everyone, hold onto the railings!"

I gripped onto the railings, which were slick, tailing the group. My hair was flattened from the water, as droplets of salty water seared my eyes. The water on the first floor was hip length; Gabura had to wade, and Aoyama opted to dive in, swimming ahead of our group with broad, shallow strokes.

Judumai hesitated. "This doesn't feel good. I don't know how to swim."

"You can still walk." Niko said. "If it's too much, you can just head back upstairs."

"No, it's fine." Judumai said, stepping into the water, his posture rigid.

I took Erina's hand. "Come on, let's hurry. It'll be okay."

She nodded, following my lead. Her nail polish was chipped and faded, with only sparse fragments of red remaining.

In the lobby, water poured from the ceiling like a shower, akin to the stairwell. In the center were two tables stacked on top of each other. On top of the table was a small tent, and beside it was a man holding a lighter and gasoline tank. The entire construction was covered in a massive, clear tarp. Several other people dotted the lobby, but the most commotion came from down the hall.

"What is this?" Gabura asked.

"To burn the cards." The man responded.

"What?" I asked.

"We have to destroy the cards, right?" Ashikaga asked, waddling up to us. "If we rip them apart one at a time, it'll take too long. If we leave them in the water, they'll be soaked through, but might not be destroyed fully. So, we're going to burn them."

Rafferty nodded. "I s-see. That's why the table is here–so the c-contraption didn't have to be carried all th-he w-way down the hall. And the tarp–so it doesn't get w-wet."

"Yup!"

"But p-please just think about wh-what you g-guys are d-doing... I mean, wh-what if it's n-not the–"

"We have the body in sight!" Someone announced, waving towards one of the back halls. The people in the lobby turned their heads, most gravitating towards the hall. It was in the east wing of the first floor, and in the hall, which was one of the bigger ones, was about a dozen and a half people, most who I recognized from Maindo. In total, counting this hall and the lobby, there were probably around twenty five or thirty people on the first floor.

"Guys!" A voice shouted. It was Tori, who waded over to us with Benkei, Aulia, and Charī behind them.

"The gang's together again." I observed, seeing Zakū and Maeda conversing by the wall, Natsuki and two women with hammers in hand by the other end, and Kazetani talking to Haga and Senri. His glasses were off. Shirai held the door open, and had a table propped against the opening, so that the water spilling out would be minimal.

Senri saw Erina. He grabbed his rifle, but Kazetani grabbed his arm. "Not the time." He said. "Justice won't matter if your drowned body is lying in a sunken hotel."

He huffed, but put his rifle away, walking up to her and I. "Any signs of trouble, and I won't hesitate to disobey Kazetani's orders."

Rafferty glared at him, correcting his slouched posture, as Senri turned away, meeting the other security members.

"Anyways, this is no time for a reunion." Kazetani said, leading us towards the door. "We have work to do."

In the distance, off to the side, was Nobira's body. He was slumped, lying face-down on the ground, his arms flailed outwards. His jacket was torn, and a large hump against his cloak meant he was wearing a backpack. Someone simply looking out the door couldn't see him; they'd have to be right near the entrance, and strain to the side.

"So how're we going to reach it?" Erina asked.

"Lasso." Kazetani said.

"Ready!" Ashikaga said, dragging a large spool of rope. A muscular man from Maindo took it; the rope has a small loop at its end, with a ring of metal tied around it.

"What's the metal for?" Judumai asked.

"So there's weight, duh." Tori answered. "That way you can actually throw it."

The people were gathered around the doorway now, as the man prepared to toss the rope.

"Aim for his arm, it's aimed straight for us."

The man nodded, drawing his arm back, then hurling the rope out the doorway. It missed by a meter, getting struck by a laser. He cursed.

"No worries." Kazetani urged. "Just pull it back and try again."

The man pulled the rope back, then shot it again. It hit Nobira's body this time, but missed the arm, not grasping onto anything. It was struck again by the laser, some of the straw fraying.

He drew it back, then pitched it again. It grasped Nobira's arm, and he gasped, twisting the rope a bit, securing it in place. He laughed, tugging the rope backwards with a light pull. The rope came off.

"Damn it!" He cursed, trying again. After three more attempts, the end of the rope was so frayed, there were only a few straws keeping it from completely severing.

"So that's a dead end..." Kazetani muttered.

"We still have the other end of the rope." Ashikaga said. "It has more weight since it's wet–maybe it'll work better?"

I shook my head. "No, we need a different strategy."

"I think... The issue is that–" All heads turned to Erina as she spoke. She stopped speaking.

"Speak, Erina." Kazetani said.

"The rope has no proper grip." She said, shooting him a thankful glance. "I suggest we tie a long knife at the end of the rope, that way it penetrates his body and acts as an anchor. If the rope gets too frayed at its end, we can simply retie it."

"H-Here!" Rafferty said, pulling out his knife from his tattered coat. Gabura grabbed it, wrapping it around the handle of the knife and pulling it tight, handing it back to the man. He drew his arm backwards, launching the knife through the doorway. The blade soared, skewering itself into Nobira's back, his jacket soaking in blood. The man pulled, and though the laser still pierced through the improvised hook, the blade and the depth it was shot into was enough to take on Nobira's weight.

The man pulled Nobira's body over the table, his corpse splashing into the water. Gabura and Aoyama lifted his body, as Rafferty pulled his jacket off, now soaked from the ceiling water, throwing it aside to Haga to search while he dug through his pockets. My breath was caught in a lump within my throat–the breathing in the room seemed to halt, as Rafferty searched through Nobira's backpack while two other people came forward to pat down Nobira's now-drenched corpse. The backpack was split into four different divisions and countless pockets, crumpled pieces of paper spilling out as Rafferty dug through it.

Rafferty gasped, his frantic movements ceasing when he reached into the frontmost, smallest pocket of the backpack. Kazetani leaned forward, his eyes widening. Swallowing, Rafferty pulled out three stacks of cards; one of them thin, and the other two massive, each secured with a thick rubber band.

"There's five stacks." Kazetani explained. "One of them for the thirty-nine cards to assemble one deck, while the other four stacks are the additional copies, each stack being a specific suit."

"I c-can't carry all of th-them!"

"Here." I said, taking the last two cards from the pocket. Rafferty buried the cards under his coat.

"I'll take them!" A woman wearing a hoodie offered. "That way they don't get wet and burn easier!"

"Here you go!" I said, handing it off to her, as she shoved the stacks beneath her hoodie.

"We have the cards!" Ashikaga shouted, announcing it to those back in the lobby. "Come on, let's get back to burn it!" She herded, waving her arm back as people were ushered out of the hallway.

"Keep the table propped against the door," Kazetani told Shirai, "so that the water keeps draining." She nodded.

The crowd trudged their way back to the lobby, in water that now reached the chest; many people opted to simply swim through the currents. Moving through the water felt like fighting against a sea of honey; with each step, I had to drag the weight of my body against the weight of the water. Erina still remained beside me, her saturated hair shining, and clinging to her body in wild clumps.

Rafferty and the woman lumbered through the water, each keeping the cards beneath their shoulder, the driest place that remained. The man under the tarp opened up the clear layer of plastic, snatching the cards from them, tossing the stacks onto the table, and putting the tarp back down.

"W-Wait." Rafferty said. "Please think th-this through! Wh-What if this isn't the Treasure?"

The man paused, and Kazetani opened his mouth, before shutting it again, pressing his hand against his mouth. Sensing their hesitation, Rafferty continued. "Wh-what e-else could it be?"

"It'll likely be the most difficult object for us to obtain." Someone said, as the water continued creeping up our height.

He pressed on. "I j-just don't think that the gamemasters w-would f-force us to burn the cards. G-Getting rid of our p-progress w-wouldn't seem all that fun."

"This isn't a reality television show." Zakū reasoned. "The game makers aren't watching us for entertainment–if they wanted to be entertained, these games wouldn't be structured the way that they are. These are trials. They're studying us. They don't let their perceived fun affect the game."

"The solution is always the hardest objective to achieve." Natsuki said. "What would be more difficult than finding the willpower to destroy month's worth of progress? Personally, I do think it's the cards..."

"It's a conundrum, but I still think we should just destroy them. It makes the most sense."

"But if they aren'? Dozens of lives and months of work down the drain just like that!"

"Well we have the top candidate for the Treasure right in front of us! And now you don't want to destroy it?"

"Everyone, STOP!" Kazetani scowled. "We do not have time to argue right now."

He sighed, turning to me, then Erina, then Rafferty. "You all know how I feel. What do you three think?"

Erina shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose we should burn them. Our progress so far will mean nothing if we're all dead."

I nodded. "Yeah... It's a hard choice. But I think even if they aren't, we need to eliminate this possibility."

Rafferty shook his head. "Very w-well then, fine."

The man under the tarp set all five stacks of cards down, dousing them in a puddle of acrid gasoline which penetrated the plastic barrier, before flicking on his lighter. He pulled the tarp up, backing away ready to slide out and under, as he threw the lighter into the gasoline. The table blazed into a warm burst of orange flames, kept under the tarp, as smoke billowed , filling the space under the sheet. The fire consumed the table, the wooden charring into a charcoal black, as I turned my nose away, dodging the smell of burnt smoke.

Nothing happened.

"No..." Kazetani mumbled. "No..."

Then, a part of the ceiling exploded, dropping a block of water, crushing us. People screamed, as I pulled Erina below the water, pulling us both out of the onslaught of debris. We resurfaced; beside me, the body man who lit the cards on fire floated, a bloody crack across his forehead.

"This first floor is going to completely be submerged! Everyone, up the stairs, now!" I ordered.

Something rumbled; the door to the