45) Ten of Clubs [5] ✮

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Time left: 30 min.

Players left: 45/82
Water level: Floor 6

===Zakū Raisunei===

"Down this way!" I pointed between breaths. We were on floor seven, searching every last room for survivors.

Maeda trailed behind me, her brown hair tied back into a ponytail. "How many more rooms are there on this floor?"

"About a dozen." I answered, jamming Kazetani's master key into the next room. It was empty. In the next room across, two bloodied bodies laid on the bed. Bullet holes were torn through her head, and next to her, was a man with a stab wound across his neck.

"I recognize that woman." Maeda said. "Isn't she Hashira? Gabura's friend?"

I backed away, shaking my head. "Let's... Get out of here."

"Are you okay? You seem pale."

"I've seen about a dozen mangled corpses in the span of an hour." I said, as we ran past another body, kicking down the next door.

"You've never... Seemed like the type of person to be dazed by this carnage."

"I suppose seeing the sheer unfiltered bloodshed is just bringing back some unpleasant memories. That's all."

I opened another door, and inside was a bearded man in a swimsuit. He gasped, raising his arms and dropping to the floor. "D-Don't! Please!"

"We're here to help you!" Maeda reassured him. "You know the top floor?"

He nodded, getting back up on shaky feet.

"Go to Chihaya's room and knock in an SOS pattern, they're taking in all survivors! We can't assist you on the way there, so good luck!"

He smiled, giving his head a slight bow. "Thank you! Th-Thank you!" He ran out the room, his runs making light splashes.

We left the room, running down the hall, when two people turned down the other corner–Benkei and Tori.

Tori doubled over, supporting themselves against the wall, panting. Benkei met our eyes and laughed. "You guys are safe!"

"Meet in Ryota's office!" I ordered. "We're gathering everyone–all our friends in our inner circle, Beach leaders, and Maindo leaders."

"What? Why are you guys out here?" Benkei asked.

"Gabura and Aoyama have discovered a potential lead, and we need everyone together to dissect it." Maeda explained. "Everyone is trying to gather everyone else–Gabura and Aoyama on floor six with Chihaya and Kazetani on floor eight–there's no time to explain, we're low on time!"

"Come on!" Tori exclaimed, taking Benkei's hand. "You're underestimating these two, let's go!"

They ran out the hall, as we continued down the corridor. Down the hallway, a wave of gunfire rang out. Me and Maeda halted, herself nearly crashing into me. Natsuki ran into our corridor from a right branching hallway, and turned right, running away from us.

Maeda turned around. "Come on, let's run!" I followed her lead, as two of the shooters emerged, one of them Senri.

"Look! It's Zakū!" The shooter exclaimed.

Senri gasped. "Get him! We need him dead!"

We turned down the hall as a round of gunfire hit the wall behind us, my lungs burning with fire.

"We left no survivors down the hall!" Senri's manic yell rang. "Don't think you can escape!"

"The hell do they want to kill you in particular?" Maeda asked between breaths.

I wondered that too, but something else caught my mind at that moment.

===Judumai Waka===

"Down th-this hall!" Rafferty beckoned. I followed him, wading through water; we were on the sixth floor.

"Slow down!" I panted, trailing behind. He halted, turning his head back, continuing to run after I had closed the distance between us.

"W-We need to find the o-others!" He said. "Time is a-almost out and there's still n-no common ground f-for wh-what this Treasure is!"

"Is there any guarantee that they're at the top floor? Any guarantee that they're even... Well, alive?"

"Judumai, f-for once I'm just as lost as y-you." He admitted. "And frankly, I don't h-have a chance against a g-group of shooters t-targeting me. But I know that our m-minds together w-work best, so that's the b-best chance w-we have."

Rafferty opened a door, but scoffed when it revealed a bedroom. "Damn! Wh-Where w-were the s-stairs? I rarely go up t-to these floors!"

I opened the door adjacent to his, when Rafferty gasped. I followed his gaze; down the hall, one of the gunners had entered the hall. He wasn't yet facing us, and in an instant, Rafferty dove into the room he had just opened, as did I.

Immediately, I locked the door, backing away, my eyes fixed at the doorknob. On the nightstand was a glass lamp, which I snatched, hiding behind the wall.

Silence followed; I pressed myself flat against the wall, my heartbeats like thunder. Gunshots sliced through the silence, and I flinched, the lamp nearly slipping through my fingers. With a splash, the doorknob fell to the floor, having been shot through.

I turned the corner and raised my lamp, bringing it down onto the man's head. The glass base shattered, showering us with sharp fragments. He groaned, shaking off the debris, before kicking me in the stomach, knocking me down to the ground.

He leveled his gun at me. "You're Judumai, are you?"

I remained silent, nodding my head yes.

"You're a close friend of Rafferty Bucke. Tell me where he is, and I might spare you."

My chest tightened; air flowed through my throat like honey. I stuttered, unable to form words.

"You have three seconds." He announced. "Three."

I steadied my breathing, looking to the distance without moving my pupils.

"Two."

His figure perfectly blocked my vision of the doorway. I closed my eyes, taking a shaking breath, before opening them again.

"One."

I didn't say anything. His fingers closed in on the trigger, and I shrunk, squeezing myself together, as Rafferty snuck behind him, slicing his throat.

A gush of his blood splattered onto me as his bleeding body fell onto the floor, the blood seeping into the carpet.

"Are y-you hurt?"

I shook my head. "No—No, I'm fine."

"That w-was close! But now w-we know there's only t-two of Senri's men left. It's s-safer now than e-ever before, let's seize the o-opportunity!"

Together, we ran out of the room, our final destination in mind.

===Charī Kasutoro===

The area was dark, and in the corner, behind the counter, the only sound was my breathing.

They were going around checking each room one by one, breaking the locks. Though, they wouldn't expect someone to hide out in the hall.

My hands gripped a pair of scissors, the handle moist with sweat. I had long taken inventory of the counters: buckets of colored pencils, palettes, blank canvases, erasers, and paint. It was the seventh floor—the art gallery floor.

'Okay, you know what? I may be shot dead at any moment, but this would make for such an interesting Ascension to Hell game. Stuck in a massive building, players have to find a certain object within a time limit–'

Someone walked into the lounge. My thoughts halted, and I shrunk against the counter. He held his gun, and stalked into the lounge, weapon raised, peeking under tables.

I could sneak out from my angle. The long row of cabinets led back into the main hall. I began shuffling my feet, slowly through the ankle-length water, when more running emerged. I recognized the voice.

"I think we should just head back!" Zakū said, his voice rough from exertion. I peeked my head up from the counter, as the man aimed his weapon.

My heart sank. I looked around, grabbing an eraser, and threw it at a blank wall. The man turned his attention to the wall, right as Zakū and Maeda passed. The latter gasped, pulling Zakū under the distant counters as the man shot where they were.

He set off in their direction, all attention away from my vicinity. 'They have nowhere to run.' I thought. 'The counter they're behind doesn't cover back into the main hall.'

The man approached closer to the counter, and I bit my lip. I raised myself up past the counter, and grabbed the tub of colored pencils with silent fingers.

I hesitated.

But then, I shouted anyway. "Hey!"

The man turned towards me. I lowered myself even more, and he, expecting a taller figure, had his gun leveled at least a meter above me. I charged, emptying the bucket of collected pencils over his feet, pushing the bucket against him. He stumbled, his feet rolling over the pencils, falling backwards into the ground.

Maeda hurled a bucket of paint onto him, dark blue covering his face, eyes, and entering his mouth. He screamed, clawing at his face, while Zakū snatched the pair of scissors from my hands and plunged it into his throat. He gurgled for a few seconds, before his arms fell limp into the water, which now submerged his entire body.

The sprinklers turned on. I looked up, extending my hands.

"Are you guys okay?" Maeda asked.

I shrugged. "As okay as one could be in the second mass-slaughter he's been in, in less than a month."

Zakū chuckled. "That must suck. But, I'm not surprised you're still alive. Chihaya and Gabura found a clue, so they want our entire inner circle to gather at Ryota's office in order to dissect it."

"What about the massacre?"

"Well, we just killed one of them, so we only have three left to worry about. We'll be fine."

I looked at Maeda, and nodded. "Alright then. This floor will be filling up soon, let's hurry."

We ran back down the hall and into the stairwell, where the steps still cascaded with rushing water. But as we were about to head up, two others were doing the same. My body tensed, preparing to run.

But they were familiar faces: Rafferty and Judumai.

Rafferty's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Y-You guys are okay!"

"We got Charī!" Maeda said. "And we took down one of the shooters."

"So did Rafferty." Judumai said. "So I think that just leaves Senri and one other."

"Charī, th-they've told you o-our plan r-right?"

I nodded. "Yes, meeting back in Ryota's room so we can all convene strategies."

"Alright, l-let's go th-then!"

Together, the five of us burst into the ninth floor, the carpet already damp with seawater.

"Careful!" Rafferty hissed. "You n-never know w-when someone could be around the c-corner."

He stayed low, leading us, as we ducked into another hallway. My recollection of the top floor was faint, but the layout was vaguely still embedded in my mind.

Down the hall, there was a toppled fortress of cabinets. Behind them, Gabura popped her head up.

"You guys! You guys are safe!"

"Rafferty and Judumai took down a shooter, and us three took down one as well." Zakū reported.

"Wait, then... One died when the parking garage collapsed too, according to Benkei and Tori." Gabura counted. "And two were killed immediately by me and Aoyama. Does this mean Senri is the only shooter that's left?"

Rafferty unfurled his hand, counting his fingers, and nodded. "Yup, th-that adds up."

"Excellent." She said. "Aoyama's guarding Chihaya's room, where we're keeping all refugees. Everyone else is in Ryota's office; we have everyone now, so come on!"

His office was just down the hall; Gabura peeked down each hall before crossing every intersection, and led us to the door, unlocking it with the master key.

Kazetani and Chihaya were talking in the corner, where Erina sat in an armchair, next to Chihaya. Ashikaga and Shirai were together near the desk, Ashikaga sitting on the backrest of the seat, her feet on the cushion, and Shirai on the table, holding a large, colorful sheet.

Niko bounced a tennis ball off the wall, Natsuki sifted through the bookshelf, Benkei paced around, and Tori dug through the drawers.

Everyone turned our way.

Chihaya was the first to break the silence. "You guys are okay!" He rushed forward, giving Rafferty and Jeremiah a warm grasp on the shoulder.

Kazetani smiled, and cleared his throat. "I'd hate to interrupt, but we have a very pressing matter at hand."

"W-Wait." Rafferty said. "Kazetani, have you s-seen Hideo or the k-kids?"

He paused, looking down. "Wait..." He whipped his head to Ashikaga and Shirai. "Have either of you two seen them?"

Shirai perked up from the crumpled sheet she was skimming through. "Hideo? No, I haven't seen him or the kids."

"Oh, no..." Ashikaga murmured. "Are they okay?"

"I-I sure hope s-so." Rafferty stuttered.

"Hideo is a good man, I'm sure they're safe." Maeda said. "Let's try to not worry and instead have faith in their survival."

"Yes, a wise outlook." Kazetani praised. "I believe he's safe, as are the kids."

"Can we get to the theory you guys have?" Tori asked. "Like Kazetani said, I don't mean to rush our reunion, but... We really are running low on time!"

"So, about the Treasure." Chihaya began. Shirai extended her arms, and he took the stretch of fabric from her. "I think this might be the solution to this game. Check this out."

He unrolled the pile of cloth; it was a banner—the same banner that the drones had hung on the wall. All across it were piles of objects. Jewelry was the most prominent, but paintings, books, and even a candy bar were also present.

And, in the pile of paintings, between two canvases, was the corner of the Nine of Diamonds card.

"What does this mean?" Judumai asked.

"Look carefully." Chihaya said. "What do these objects all have in common? These are all objects that we have been gifted. This Nine of Diamonds card? Ryota's gift from Erina."

Erina nodded, still remaining in her corner. "Yes, I planned to give him a copy of the card before his untimely passing."

"This handle." He said, pointing to a blue bar of metal peeking behind the box of paintings. "Judumai, it's the electric piano Charī gave you!"

He gasped. "Right! It's probably destroyed by now though... I left it back downstairs and it's probably long been torn by the currents."

"So, each of these are a different gift we've received?" Natsuki asked.

"Our theory is that the banner shows the most valuable gift received of every person at the Beach." Gabura explained.

"But some of these objects are unexplainable." Judumai explained. "Like, what the hell is that candy bar?"

"No way..." Zakū muttered. All eyes shifted towards him, as he put his hand into his pocket, pulling out an empty candy wrapper.

"My—My candy bar that I gave you?" Maeda trilled. "Back at Maindo? Why would you keep that in your pocket?"

"I've never bothered to throw it away, and I just happened to wear this pair of shorts today. And the wrapper design and labels are all the same. What a... Strange coincidence?"

"Hold on, no I'm confused." Niko said. "How is that random wrapper your most valuable Treasure?"

"I don't really have any other memories of a distinctive Treasure. And plus, giving me the candy was a very kind gesture." He answered, his words fast and mixing into one.

"So these gifts aren't necessarily the most valuable from a monetary sense," Shirai explained, "but from a sentimental sense as well."

"What about these paintings?" Benkei asked. "I spent lots of time in the art hall but haven't seen most of them, but I recognize some of them hanging around."

"Most of them are from Saionji." Niko answered. "Phenomenal artist—he'd give many of his paintings to people randomly."

I gasped, a lightbulb flashing in my head. "I remember! The day I joined the Beach was the day he was killed off in the game!"

Chihaya nodded, his mouth firm.

"So, the Treasure is all of our biggest gifts... Combined?" Judumai asked. "That'll be impossible to destroy!"

"Not all of our gifts–at least, I don't think so." Chihaya said.

Ashikaga popped open a black marker, tossing it to Chihaya. "Let's cross off everything on the list that's been destroyed so far."

Chihaya caught the marker. "Thanks." He scratched off the piano, and, after Zakū cut apart the candy wrapper with a pair of scissors, he crossed the candy bar off too.

"We can cross off every painting." Niko said. "Seventh floor is all flooded now."

Chihaya scribbled out each painting, one by one.

"I s-still have b-both the Nine of Diamonds and N-Nine of Hearts c-card." Rafferty said. "I don't know i-if w-we should destroy them y-yet."

"Nine of Hearts?" Kazetani asked. "Where was that from?"

"Hideo gave it to m-me after I saved his l-life in my first game, a-and in the game w-we met, which was th-the Nine of Hearts. I hid it from you guys w-when I first j-joined." He turned to Erina. "Sorry, Erina."

She shrugged. "It's okay."

"This sketchbook." Benkei pointed at the binding of a sketchbook that peeked behind the piles of jewelry. "That's my sketchbook!"

"Was your sketchbook a gift?" Judumai asked.

"No. So why is it there?"

I gasped. "Because... It's my gift. You were the one who drew me all the mock-ups and designs for Ascension to Hell!"

Benkei pulled the sketchbook out from the shelf. "I ran to pick this up after me and Tori made it up here, I had left it in the art hall."

"Guys, I don't think it's every single Treasure on this banner..." Kazetani warned. "That's too elaborate. The solution has to be something exceptionally clever yet simple. Something no one would ever think to look at, which has been under all our noses the whole time."

Erina breathed quietly, rubbing her eyes. "...Damn it. The answer shouldn't be this hard."

Chihaya turned to her, then back at the banner. "You know, Erina, I remember something you once told me after the Seven of Clubs. You said that we mustn't only look at what we do know, but also what we don't know. What information has been withheld from us?"

"So these Treasures are the gifts of everyone at the Beach." Natsuki said. "So maybe the Treasure is the entire Beach?"

Kazetani shook his head. "Can't be. First of all, we can't define how destroyed it needs to be to be considered destroyed. If we just have to wait until the entire building floods, then that's way too simple of a solution. But if we have to wait until if this entire building were to collapse from the water, then this game would turn into a Spades game..." He trailed off, not finishing his sentence, as if a thought just entered his mind.

"Kazetani?" Ashikaga asked, as he paced to the window.

"Hold on, I just thought of something." He said. "Keep talking."

"There's s-something else th-that's been bothering m-me." Rafferty said. "Gabura. Charī. Natsuki. Remember the Ten of Hearts?"

"The game that's given me permanent hearing loss? Damn right I still remember it!" Gabura said.

I nodded, and so did Natsuki.

"Something s-strange happened during th-that game. W-We solved the entire game, but at the last s-second, that one militant w-went crazy. He started sh-shooting everyone out of sudden h-hysteria, and Araya g-gave his life to stop him."

"Well, it's true that that was strange. But what does that have to do with this game?" Natsuki asked.

Gabura rubbed her chin. "Wait... Hold on."

"My p-point is, isn't it s-strange Senri began d-doing the same thing? The idea that Ryota w-was trying to convey the s-solution during his monologue prior to h-his death is already a r-reach, but the idea that they have to kill a single c-contrubutor of each c-card is such a far-fetched and almost downright u-unrealistic solution for this game!"

"And we haven't even begun talking about what a dealer was." Chihaya said. "Why did

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