𝐒𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 // 𝐒𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫ō 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

34

The Jack of Diamonds. To fear, or not to fear it? Seeing Chishiya's change in attitude after the King of Diamonds game has you in a somewhat worried state for him and the upcoming game you'll have to face. One thing you know you won't do though, is die. You will survive no matter what it takes, for Chishiya is your top priority right now, and the thought of leaving him will never cross your mind.

Right now, you were standing right outside the Jack of Diamonds game venue. It was a small restaurant, seemingly an innocent place, but the blimp that floated atop of it kind of contradicted that.

You crouched down to give Taro a safe landing once he got off your shoulder. "I'll get going." You hummed, getting up and dusting yourself off.

"Come back safely." Chishiya said. His tone was natural, but his eyes showed worry and slight fear.

You smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "Trust me, I will."

He seemed to want to say something else but in the end, stood silent and nodded.

"Oh, before I forget." You gave him your bag. "Take care of Taro and don't forget to feed him if you think he's hungry. Well, I'm off now. Be safe you too, and don't hesitate to run if the King of Spades is nearby."

He nodded, taking the bag. "I'll hide somewhere nearby to not get too far away."

"Alright," you spoke, "but don't get yourself hurt." With that, you walked away, giving him a lazy wave.

You walked inside the restaurant, unsure whether you'll survive or not. But all you have to think of, as of now, is surviving and clearing the games with Chishiya. You

"I'll be fine." You muttered to yourself as you entered the restaurant, already seeing four players— including the Jack himself.

PLAYER LIMIT HAS BEEN REACHED. THE GAME WILL COMMENCE SOON.

A door opened, giving everyone access to another small room which had only a round table with five seats and.. five nooses.

PLEASE FIT YOUR HEADS INTO THE NOOSES AND TAKE A SEAT.

Obliging the A.I's request, you sat down, fitting your head inside the noose. Everyone else did the same, but one man in particular caught your eye. He seemed a little bit insane and carefree about the fact that he had a chance of getting hung. The nooses were not yet tightened, and it was the perfect size for all of you, as if they predicted who would be coming.

ALL PLAYERS HAVE FIT THEIR HEADS INTO A NOOSE AND HAVE TAKEN A SEAT. THE GAME WILL NOW COMMENCE.

DIFFICULTY: ♦︎ JACK OF DIAMONDS ♦︎
GAME: BLACKJACK

You scoffed, completely dissatisfied by the 'game' you were going to be playing. You clicked your tongue, crossing your arms and looking away from the board— only listening to the A.I speak.

"What's wrong, pretty girl?" The insane-looking man asked, smiling at you, showing some of his golden teeth. "Don't know how to play?"

"I know how to play." You replied curtly, uninterested in a conversation with him. "I'm just not a gambling addict like the rest of you."

He laughed. "That's too bad! Guess you'll be dying, then. What a waste of a pretty face."

You cringed at his words, grimacing slightly. "God. Stop calling me that." You glared at him. "In the end, it's your own life that you'll be gambling away anyway. I wouldn't be too happy or cheerful if I were you."

RULES:
PLAYERS MUST BET AN AMOUNT OF CHIPS TO THEIR CHOOSING (HIT/STAND).
THE TIME LIMIT IS ONE HOUR.
IT IS GAME OVER IF THE TIME LIMIT OF THE ROUND HAS BEEN REACHED.
IT IS GAME OVER IF A PLAYER LOSES ALL THEIR CHIPS MID-GAME.
TRANSFERRING CHIPS TO ANOTHER PLAYER IS NOT PERMITTED.
RESTRAINING AGAINST THE NOOSE AND/OR SEAT IS NOT PERMITTED.
IT IS GAME CLEAR IF THERE IS ONE PLAYER STANDING.

"Boring." You thought to yourself, staring at the table with disinterest.

GAME, START.

"So it looks like we can't move from this seat until we finish!" The unhinged man exclaimed with a thick cigarette in his mouth. "And we get a hangin' if we lose?! Pretty chilling if you ask me!"

"That disgustingly thick voice of yours reminds me of my late husband." An elderly woman said with a serious yet monotone voice, smoking a cigarette. "Let's just get this over with."

"Until one person remains.." a man with weird-looking hair said calmly. "That means we're all going against each other."

"No shit." You thought to yourself, rolling your eyes internally. You stared at the table, intrigued by the gun that was hidden behind a glass shield.

You tapped your finger against the glass. "This." You said, referring to the gun. "What's it for? The punishment?"

"Maybe." The elderly woman replied.

You clicked your tongue internally. "Not even a proper response. What good are these people even for anyway? They should just put that noose to early use and give me the free win." You thought, getting enraged by these people already. "Whatever. All I have to do is win and get away from these.. things."

A small part of the table lifted up, revealing a stack of chips. You scanned the stack of chips, and counted 120. You looked at it, unsurprised, before hearing the loud voice of the unhinged man.

"How does this girl have 120?!" He yelled, pointing at you. "Hey! She's definitely cheatin', isn't she?! Why are the number of chips all different?!"

"..Most likely, the number of chips we given relates to our remaining allowance on our visas." The man with the funky hair replied. "It's how much time we have left."

"Exactly." You said, following his statement. "I don't know why you're playing in a Jack of Diamonds game if you're this dumb."

"Why you arrogant little..!" He said, gritting his teeth before stopping with a smirk.

You stared at his expression, studying and analyzing him. "Ah." You thought to yourself. "He probably thinks that I'm not experienced at blackjack and that I'll get killed first, so he's telling himself not to worry about me. Dumb."

You took a chip, holding it up to your face. "Each chip represents one hour. Since I've completed a Jack of Hearts game before this, I've got 4 days left. Which converts to 120 hours, giving me 120 chips. It's that easy to understand." You explained briefly.

"Well," you said, sighing and placing the chip back onto your stack.

"I want to get out of here quickly, so let's begin."