The world appeared with no warning.
A cold mechanical voice cut through the silence of the simulation.
「8 Survivors, 3 Hunters」
「May luck be with you.」
For a moment, the words lingered in the air like a quiet omen.
Then the world seemed to breathe again.
Behind the resort, the afternoon sun filtered gently through the overgrown trees. A narrow path curved along the back of the building, half-hidden beneath creeping vines and clusters of hibiscus that had grown wild against the stone walls. Crimson petals rested lazily along the edges of the walkway, stirring faintly whenever the ocean breeze drifted through the garden.
Ace walked alone along the trail, her pace unhurried. Each step slowed a little more than the last, her thoughts clearly elsewhere as her shoes brushed softly over the gravel embedded in the stone.
The quiet of the garden wrapped around her. Only the distant hush of the sea and the soft rustling of leaves overhead disturbed the stillness.
A faint pulse of light flickered from the Chrysalis watch around her wrist.
She glanced down. The display glowed dimly against her skin, the same instruction staring back at her as stubbornly as it had for the past several minutes. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she reread the message yet again.
「Mission: Use your skill before nightfall. One move per day.」
Ace exhaled slowly through her nose, the breath dragging out before a quiet groan slipped from her throat.
"Easier said than done."
The path narrowed as she wandered deeper into the garden. Behind her, the resort gradually disappeared from view, its bright glass walls swallowed by branches and thick foliage until the building felt oddly distant. Even the ocean seemed to fade, its steady rhythm replaced by the softer whisper of leaves brushing together in the wind.
Somewhere above the canopy, birds began to chirp.
At first, the sound blended naturally with the rustling leaves, the sort of background noise that usually slipped by unnoticed in a quiet garden. Ace slowed slightly as another chirp echoed from a different direction, followed almost immediately by a third.
The pattern continued. Each call repeated with strange consistency, spaced almost perfectly apart from the last.
It took her a moment to realize what made it unsettling. The rhythm was too even. Too deliberate. As if the birds had agreed on the timing beforehand.
Her steps gradually slowed to a stop. Ace tilted her head upward, listening more carefully as the sound echoed again through the canopy. The branches swayed gently in the breeze, scattering fragments of sunlight across the path, but the birds themselves remained hidden somewhere within the leaves.
For several seconds, she simply stood there, staring into the shifting greenery while the steady pattern of chirps continued above her.
A faint crease formed between her brows.
Then the moment snapped.
The irritation she had been suppressing finally bubbled to the surface, cracking through the garden's quiet like a fracture through glass.
Ace suddenly stopped walking and dragged both hands through her hair, ruffling it in every direction until the strands stuck out in uneven spikes.
"I need manual instruuuuctioooons!" she groaned loudly, her voice echoing down the empty trail.
She tilted her head back dramatically toward the canopy as if expecting the trees themselves to answer her. "Hooow do I dooo ittt?!"
Her fingers tugged at her hair until it fell into a thoroughly chaotic mess. When she finally dropped her hands, the garden remained unchanged—quiet and indifferent. The breeze stirred the leaves overhead, and the path ahead stayed empty. No voice answered her complaint.
But she was not alone.
At the edge of a small clearing just beyond the trail, someone sat beneath the shade of a broad tree. Its branches spread wide overhead, scattering soft patches of sunlight across the grass.
Kusako rested against the trunk, her posture small and folded inward as though she had been sitting there for quite some time. Her knees were drawn loosely toward her chest, and the Chrysalis watch lay idle in her lap, its dark screen catching faint glints of filtered light.
She had been there the entire time. Watching.
Ace froze mid-complaint the moment she noticed the figure beneath the tree. The frustration still hung in the air for a second before embarrassment caught up with her.
"Oh," she said, straightening slightly as if that might somehow erase the last several seconds. "Didn't expect company."
Kusako responded with a small nod. Her fingers lifted briefly to adjust the curtain of bangs that partially hid her eyes, the movement quiet and careful, almost habitual.
Ace lingered where she stood for a moment before stepping a little closer to the clearing, though she stopped a few feet away, uncertain whether she was intruding on something that had clearly been peaceful a moment ago.
"You hiding or meditating?" Ace asked cautiously. She tilted her head, studying her. "Not judging—just need to know if I should whisper."
Kusako said nothing.
The silence stretched just long enough to feel deliberate. Ace scratched the back of her neck awkwardly and gave a small shrug.
"Cool," she muttered. "The extremely introverted type."
She lifted her wrist. The watch responded immediately. A faint pulse of light flickered across its surface, and a holographic interface unfolded into the air above her palm.
「Watch Display
Status: None
Role 1: Summoner
Role 2: Locked
Skills: Check another player's identity.
Team: Survivor
Stage: Tutorial」
Ace stared at the interface hovering above her wrist, the pale glow reflecting faintly against her skin as she tried to make sense of the information displayed in front of her.
"...Okay."
She leaned closer to the screen, squinting slightly as she read the description again. The words remained exactly the same, stubbornly unhelpful.
"So I can check someone's identity."
Her head tilted as she considered it, the thought rolling slowly through her mind. A moment passed while she continued staring at the display, her expression shifting as the implication settled.
"This is kind of creepy."
Her finger tapped lightly against the interface, as if double-checking that the information was real.
"Actually, now that I think about it, it also feels borderline illegal." She exhaled quietly, tapping the screen one more time. "This is mildly invasive."
Across the clearing, Kusako had lifted her gaze. Her eyes rested briefly on Ace, silently observing the way she spoke to herself while studying the glowing display. After a moment, her attention drifted downward again. Her fingers moved gently across the surface of her own watch, and the device responded with a soft flicker of light as a small holographic screen opened above her wrist.
「Watch Display
Status: None
Role 1: Priest
Role 2: Locked
Skills: Protect a player or resurrect the dead.
Team: Survivor
Stage: Tutorial」
Kusako lifted her gaze and looked at Ace. Then her eyes drifted downward, settling briefly on the glowing interface hovering above Ace's wrist.
After a moment, she raised her gaze again, meeting Ace's face once more. The movement was quiet and unhurried, almost easy to miss.
The gesture itself was subtle, but unmistakably deliberate.
Ace blinked, trying to piece together what Kusako had just implied.
"Huh?" She pointed to herself, then glanced down at her watch before looking back up again. "You want me to use my skill on you?"
Kusako gave a small nod. The motion was slight—barely more than a dip of her chin—but clear enough to confirm it.
Ace stared at her for a few seconds, clearly processing the request. "Hmm."
Her gaze dropped back down to the interface hovering above her wrist. As if responding to her attention, the display shifted, expanding into a larger menu.
「Select a target to check their identity:
Silver Serene
Akhina Koizumi
Shun Sakamoto
Vanitas Achimen
Kusako Sanae
Fuji Homa
Noah Michaelis
Asher Hyun
Lux Nightingale
Eirene Xu」
Ace exhaled slowly as she studied the list of names hovering above her wrist.
"One move a day," she murmured under her breath, her finger hovering uncertainly over the glowing interface.
The rule lingered in her mind as she scanned the names, each one briefly lighting beneath her fingertip before she moved on.
"No resets," she added quietly, the words sounding more like a reminder to herself than anything else.
When her finger finally reached Kusako's name, it stopped. For a moment, she simply stared at it, weighing the choice, before letting out a small breath.
Her finger lowered and tapped the screen on Kusako's name.
Across the clearing, Kusako's watch responded with a soft beep as a notification appeared on her display.
「A player is attempting to check your identity.」
「Accept / Reject」
Kusaki didn't hesitate. Her finger moved almost immediately, pressing "Accept" without a second thought.
The moment she did, a faint pulse of light flickered between the two watches, traveling quietly through the air like a brief signal passing between them. Ace's holographic screen flashed once in response, the interface shifting as the result was processed.
「Result: Kusako Sanae's Role — Priest」
Ace lowered her voice instinctively as the result appeared on the screen.
"Priest." Her eyes lifted from the holographic display to Kusako beneath the tree. "You're one of the good ones."
Kusako didn't react. She simply turned her gaze away again, her expression settling back into the same quiet neutrality she had worn before.
Ace studied her for a moment, folding her arms loosely across her chest. "You know," she said slowly, "you could've blocked that. That's what I'd do."
For a few seconds, Kusako remained silent. Then she spoke, her voice soft enough that the wind nearly carried it away.
"I don't waste moves."
Ace blinked at her. "...Right."
She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, glancing away for a second before looking back again.
"You're... hard to talk to," she admitted, the words slipping out with a small breath. After a brief pause, she added, "You know that, right?"
Kusako gave a small nod, though she still didn't look up. Ace lingered there for another second before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Well..." She turned toward the path again. "Thanks for not smiting me or whatever."
Already starting to walk away, she lifted a hand in a halfhearted wave over her shoulder. "I guess I'll go bug someone else."
Behind her, Kusako's lips parted slightly, as if a response had almost formed. For a brief second, it hovered there, unspoken. But by then, Ace had already disappeared between the trees.
Kusako lowered her gaze again, the quiet returning to the clearing as sunlight filtered softly through the leaves overhead.
Kusako stayed where she was beneath the shade of the broad tree, the scattered sunlight shifting slowly across the grass as the wind stirred the branches above. The Chrysalis watch rested lightly in her lap, its faint glow dimming as the interface closed.
For a few seconds, she simply watched the empty path. Then the moment passed.
Inside the resort, the dining hall stood almost empty.
Large windows lined the walls, allowing soft afternoon light to spill across the polished floors and sleek tables arranged throughout the room. The place had the pristine calm of a luxury hotel—clean and strangely detached from the tension quietly building between the players scattered across the island.
Silver walked across the hall with a steady, deliberate pace. Her expression remained composed, though her gaze moved sharply across the room as if calculating something unseen. When she reached the center of the hall, she lifted her wrist and tapped lightly against the Chrysalis watch.
The display flickered open immediately, and a holographic interface unfolded in front of her.
「Watch Display
Status: None
Role 1: Baker
Role 2: Locked
Skills: Send a pastry to any player. ➤
Team: Survivor
Stage: Tutorial」
Silver studied the screen carefully before tapping the small arrow beside the skill description. The interface expanded, revealing a list of abilities floating neatly in the air.
────────────────────────
「Active Abilities (Choose one per round):
1) Blueberry Tart — Grants a player +2 to their Voting and Judgement rights.
2) Éclair — Reduces a player's Voting and Judgement rights by -2.
3) Pain Au Chocolat — Poisons a player, disabling their ability to use skills for one round.
Passive Ability:
If a player consumes more than three pastries, they will be eliminated of obesity.」
────────────────────────
Silver raised an eyebrow slightly as she read through the list. The role was both amusing and intriguing in a way she hadn't expected. Curious, she continued navigating the menu until a targeting window appeared before her.
Without hesitation, she selected a name.
「Target: Fuji Homa — Pain Au Chocolat — Sent」
Outside in the courtyard, Fuji lounged lazily on a stone bench near the fountain. He stretched his arms overhead and yawned widely, completely unaware of the quiet decision that had just been made inside the building.
Suddenly, a pastry materialized in midair directly in front of him. Before he could even react, it shot forward and slammed straight into his mouth.
"Wha—?! Mmph!" Fuji choked immediately.
By the time he managed to swallow, the pastry had already vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. Just then, a sharp beep came from his wrist.
「Watch Display
You have consumed 1 bread.
3 Breads = Death」
Fuji stared at the screen in disbelief. "Are breads haunted in this tournament?!"
Back inside the dining hall, Silver stood near the window overlooking the courtyard. From her position, she could clearly see Fuji sitting near the fountain, now frantically examining his watch.
A faint smirk appeared on her face. "Guess that works."
She lowered her wrist slightly, her thoughts already moving ahead of the moment. If there's only one move per day, she reflected quietly, then it needs to count.
The scrape of a chair interrupted her concentration. Silver glanced sideways. Eirene had dropped into the seat nearby, leaning back comfortably while studying Silver with open curiosity.
"You're way too focused for someone at a murder resort," Eirene remarked.
Silver adjusted the watch on her wrist without looking up. "Precision matters," she replied calmly. "Even leisure should be tactical."
Eirene watched her for another moment before grinning. "Suuure. You definitely just did something shady."
Meanwhile, outside near the fountain, Fuji had already reopened his watch in a panic. The holographic interface expanded in front of him, revealing far more information than he expected.
「Watch Display
Status: Poisoned — Ability Blocked
Role 1: Amogus
Role 2: Locked
Skills: Kill a target / Sabotage and disable a target's role.
Team: Hunter
Stage: Tutorial」
Fuji's eyes widened as the message settled on the screen. "No, no, no—"
Panic crept into his voice as he quickly tapped on the interface, trying to activate his skill without even checking the target. The holographic display flickered in response.
「Error.」
He froze for a second before tapping again, harder this time, as if pressing the screen with more force might somehow fix the problem.
「Error.」
The red status message pulsed repeatedly across the display.
「Status: Poisoned」
Fuji stared at it in disbelief for a brief moment before the realization finally crashed over him. With a dramatic groan, he dropped to his knees beside the fountain, clutching his head as if the universe had personally betrayed him.
"Great! It has a role paralysis effect too!" His shoulders slumped in despair. "I am usseeleesssss!"
Back inside the dining hall, Silver remained perfectly calm, standing beside the sleek table interface as if nothing unusual had occurred at all. Across from her, Eirene continued staring with open fascination, clearly studying Silver's composed expression as if trying to uncover the exact moment she had done something suspicious.
"You've got that 'I just committed a crime and no one can prove it' face."
Silver finally lifted her gaze from the interface and met Eirene's eyes without the slightest hint of urgency. "Do I?"
Eirene leaned back in her chair thoughtfully, tilting her head as she examined Silver's reaction.
"I don't trust it," she admitted, then her smile widened. "But I also deeply admire it."
A faint buzzing sound interrupted the moment. Eirene glanced down at her wrist and groaned softly as the watch vibrated.
"Ugh. Cooldown's still running."
Silver's eyes shifted toward her. "You already used your move?"
Eirene slouched sideways in her chair and waved the question away dismissively. "Don't judge me. I thought charming the NPC would unlock a secret quest."
"And?" Silver waited patiently.
Eirene stared forward with a blank, deeply disappointed expression. For a brief moment, Silver chuckled under her breath.
Eirene spun a spoon lazily between her fingers while continuing to watch Silver with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Wanna guess what amazingly cursed role I got?"
Silver glanced briefly at her watch again. "No."
"C'mon," Eirene insisted. "Take a wild, repressed little stab."
Silver sighed quietly. "Bait. Decoy. Something unpredictable."
Eirene's grin widened immediately.
"Close," she said, clearly delighted with the answer. After letting the suspense linger for a second longer, she finally revealed it while showing her watch. "I'm the Harlot."
For the first time since the conversation began, Silver looked up properly. Her expression remained controlled, but a faint flicker of intrigue crossed her gaze.
"I thought this tournament had a basic sense of rules," she said evenly.
"It does," Eirene replied with an easy shrug. "They just happen to have taste."
Silver studied her for another moment before glancing down at Eirene's watch.
"What are you trying to show me?" she asked. "A blank screen?"
Eirene blinked in confusion before immediately reacting with exaggerated disbelief.
"Blank?" she repeated. "My watch can't be brighter and fancier with this pop-up, girl!"
Silver lowered her gaze again, processing the information quietly. "Then I guess everyone's watches are private to themselves," she concluded.
Eirene leaned back again with a satisfied smile. "Ooh," she said playfully, clearly enjoying that realization, "I likey my privacy."
She leaned forward slightly afterward, lowering her voice as if about to reveal a secret.
"Alright, fine." Eirene gave in. "I'll tell you what it actually does."
Silver leaned forward slightly as well, curiosity sharpening her otherwise calm expression. Eirene proceeded to whisper the details of her ability, explaining how her role allowed her to perform a romantic act on another player in order to temporarily copy their skill upon contact. Silver listened carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly as she processed the implications of what she was hearing.
"So you charm your way into power," Silver concluded once Eirene finished explaining.
Eirene flashed a confident smile. "As it should be."
"And the reward is temporary theft of ability," Silver continued thoughtfully.
Eirene waved her hand dismissively. "I prefer calling it 'skill sync via physical chemistry.' It sounds more romantic."
Silver folded her arms loosely as she analyzed the mechanics in her mind. "So everyone can only use their skill once per day," she said slowly. "And yours carries a high reward with a very small margin of error."
"Exactly," Eirene replied enthusiastically. "Kiss the right person, and I become a goddess."
She leaned closer across the table, lowering her voice. "Kiss the wrong one..."
"Ghost kills you on contact," Silver finished calmly.
Eirene snapped her fingers in approval. "Like real-life dating."
Silver studied her for a moment longer before asking another question. "And what exactly qualifies as a romantic act in this system?"
"That depends on how bold I'm feeling," she replied with a playful smile. "A wink might do. Or a dramatic confession under moonlight."
She paused briefly before adding with a grin, "Or maybe I'll just hold someone's hand and ruin everything."
Silver considered that answer quietly.
"How reckless," she said at last.
Eirene's smile widened. "Alive."
For a while, the two of them remained seated in the calm dining hall, the quiet hum of the resort filling the space between them. Eirene leaned back in her chair again, clearly pleased with the reveal, while Silver adjusted her watch and continued processing the information she had just learned.
"You're doing the math, right?" Eirene asked eventually, watching her closely. "Figuring out how dangerous I am."
Silver didn't even look up this time. "I'm calculating how long you'll survive before someone misreads your performance and panics."
Eirene grinned brightly at that. "Ooh," she said with clear amusement, "that's hot."
Meanwhile, far away beneath the dense canopy of the forest, Vanitas wandered alone through the trees. The branches above her wove together so tightly that only thin streaks of sunlight managed to reach the forest floor. The deeper she walked, the quieter the surroundings became, until the sounds of the resort and the ocean had faded completely.
She sniffed lightly while looking around.
"I haven't seen anyone for the past few minutes," she murmured, glancing nervously between the trees with slightly teary eyes. "Did Tallia teleport me into the corner of this forest or something?"
She raised her wrist and tapped lightly on the Chrysalis watch. The device flickered to life immediately, projecting a holographic interface into the air before her. Vanitas leaned closer to read it, her expression shifting the moment she saw the role listed on the screen.
"Oh," she said softly. Then she leaned even closer, "Ohhh."
Her eyes sparkled with sudden excitement.
"So that's how you use the watch," she murmured before breaking into a wide grin. "Neutral... wooaahhh! I never thought I'd get to stand on both sides!"
The excitement was enough to make her climb onto a smooth boulder nearby. She knelt on top of it, swiping eagerly through the menu while the glow of the hologram illuminated her face. The deeper she scrolled, the more fascinated she became.
"Death roulette?" she read aloud, her eyes widening. "Oooohh, I feel so badass!"
The watch's light reflected sharply in her eyes as she leaned closer to read the next line more carefully.
"Roulette of Destiny... triggered when I die with the killer's name tripled." A quiet laugh escaped her. "I'm a living time bomb!"
Vanitas continued scrolling until another prompt appeared on the screen.
「Watch Display
As Joker, you may choose to join either the Survivor or Hunter team.
Once selected, this choice cannot be reversed.」
She stared at the message for a moment, tilting her head slightly.
"Right... so that's the twist."
Instead of answering immediately, she leaned back against the warm stone of the boulder and stretched her arms behind her head, staring up through the tangled branches overhead. The trees swayed slowly in the wind, scattering broken fragments of sunlight across her face.
"One move per day," she murmured thoughtfully. "Everyone's blindfolded... and I'm the one who gets to peek."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as the realization settled deeper. "That doesn't mean I know which game we're actually playing."
The wind stirred again, rustling the leaves overhead. Their shadows shifted slowly across her face while she continued staring up at the branches, her thoughts moving faster than the quiet forest around her.
After a moment, she spoke again, her voice softer now. "Pick a side..." she murmured, almost to herself. "What happens if both sides lose?"
The question unsettled her more than she expected. Vanitas suddenly sat upright, the boulder scraping faintly beneath her movement. With a quick flick of her wrist, she reopened the skill menu, the holographic interface blooming back to life in front of her eyes. She reread every line carefully, her lips pressing together while she studied the abilities again.
"Vote theft... death roulette... and the power to gamble with everyone's lives," she whispered.
Her finger drifted slowly toward the "Choose Team" icon.
"One side says survive," she said quietly. "The other says hunt."
A faint smirk began to form at the corner of her mouth. "But what if I just want to watch the world fold?"
The thought lingered for only a moment before she shook her head, the smirk fading almost as quickly as it appeared.
"No," she said under her breath. "That's not it."
Vanitas pushed herself to her feet and brushed a few stray leaves from her clothes, the restless energy returning to her expression. The forest felt too quiet for sitting still.
"This role wasn't made to sit still."
She stepped down from the boulder and began walking again, slipping between two towering trees. The wind shifted behind her, stirring the branches until the faint rustling of leaves swallowed the sound of her footsteps. Within seconds, the path she had taken seemed to disappear completely.
For a brief moment, the forest fell perfectly still. Then her watch blinked once.
Red.
A small notification appeared across the interface.
「Watch Display
Your next move may affect the balance of the game.」
Vanitas glanced down at the message, the faint glow reflecting in her eyes.
"So be it."
She raised her wrist again, and the interface unfolded once more. Two icons glowed before her—one marked Survivor in calm blue light, the other Hunter in ominous red. The display pulsed gently, waiting.
Vanitas held her finger above the two choices. For a moment, she did not move.
The forest around her had grown strangely still, as though the simulation itself were watching. The wind that had been rustling through the leaves moments ago had quieted. Even the distant insects seemed to pause, their faint buzzing fading into an uneasy hush.
Her gaze flickered between the two symbols.
Blue.
Red.
Two paths. Two entirely different outcomes.
She wondered briefly how many of the others were standing somewhere in this forest at that exact moment, staring down at the same choice, weighing the same uncertainty.
Slowly, she lowered her finger. The instant it touched the screen, the interface flared with light. The watch vibrated softly against her wrist as new lines of text began to form across the display, updating faster than she could read.
Vanitas lowered her arm, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the screen.
Somewhere else in the woods, unseen by her and hidden behind layers of shadow and trees, another watch lit up at the exact same moment.
And the first pieces of the game quietly began to fall into place.