♠ ♦ Alice in Borderland ♣ ♥

37 - ♥8

'Move yourself to your own capsule,' the voice tells us. The capsule doors open with a loud noise.

My first reaction is to immediately do what the voice tells us, but then I feel Soran grab my arm and stop me. The expression on his face tells me how shocked he is at the announcement. Yuki and Chichiro are also clearly shocked.

Shit, it's the eight of hearts. I think of all the hearts games that have happened so far and feel my heart suddenly be surrounded by fear. I really want to tell everyone it's going to be okay, but we all sense it would be a lie. Even the three boys sent out to hurt us seem shaken. Reo looks at Kyo with a furious look, because he has sentenced him to play this game.

After hugging Soran, I let go of him and stand in front of one of the capsules. It's clear to see that the spaces are not particularly large. I've never really had a problem entering small spaces, but the nerves of the upcoming game have me entering mine with dread. As soon as I'm inside, the door clicks shut and I'm trapped. My heart rate picks up instantly. I lie on a thin mat with a pillow. There's a television screen with speakers on the wall and a tablet that is within reach. I try to lie still and watch my breathing, but it doesn't get any better. I put my hand in the pocket of my cardigan and clasp the MP3 player Yuki gave me. It ensures that I can find some peace.

I'm startled when the television screen turns on and I see the others on the screen. Chichiro is clearly having the most trouble with this event. Ringo calmly pretends he doesn't care, but I can see the concern in his eyes. I take a quick look at Soran and Yuki to make sure they're okay, as far as they can be. For now it seems to be going well.

'The game is "Capsule Hotel",' the voice tells us. 'Rules of the game: Stay in the capsule until time is up. Choose one player via the tablet to whom you want an event to apply. From all those selected, someone will be chosen at random to undergo this. If a player leaves the capsule early, they get a game over.' In the short pause that follows, it remains completely silent. 'Clear condition: The game ends after two and a half hours, or when one player leaves the capsule.'

'Interesting,' Kyo says, seemingly unconcerned. 'The game starts now,' the voice tells us. At the top right of the screen, a timer of 150 minutes starts counting down. Watching the dancing numbers makes me pretty sad, so I try to ignore it as much as possible.

When the screen lights up, I look at the tablet hanging within reach. I pull the thing a little closer to me and look at the statement that appears on the screen.

"Choose a player who gets a bad smell in their capsule for ten minutes."

All our photos and names are displayed, after which a one-minute timer starts counting down. That's probably how long we have to make our choice.

'Easy,' Reo says, pressing the tablet. I can't see what choice he makes on the screen, but I can guess it. The evil look in his eyes indicates that he's going for Kyo. 'Don't you dare,' the boy says menacingly, but there's nothing he can do to stop Reo. More and more players make their choice, but I'm still staring at my tablet.

This is not the only statement to come and certainly not the worst out there. The level "eight" indicates that it will get much worse. What more things will we have to do to someone else? What happens if you don't vote? I don't want to find out. In the last five seconds I make my choice.

Not only does Kyo's photo appear six times, we also see exactly who voted for which player. The two votes for Reo come from Kyo and Yuki. The latter looks at the ground with an embarrassed and caught face. This isn't the time for that at all, but I feel something strange floating through my body. Despite everything his former friend has done to him and Kenta, he still wants to save him from discomfort. Kyo takes it all but well. 'Pussy,' he mumbles, probably to Yuki. All the photos are lit one by one, until the pattern slows down and the lights finally stop on one photo: Kyo.