The chamber did not change in any visible way. The lights remained soft and controlled, evenly spread across the circular room without casting anything into true shadow. At the center, the interface continued its steady glow, suspended with a presence that felt less like an object and more like something waiting. The chairs remained arranged in perfect symmetry, each placed at equal intervals, as though even the space between them had been measured long before they arrived.
And yet, something was no longer the same.
It did not come with a sound or a clear point of origin. It simply settled into the space—subtle at first, then impossible to ignore.
The air felt narrower, as though the distance between them had quietly shortened without anything actually moving. Conversations no longer came easily. Even before a word was spoken, there was a pause—a hesitation where thoughts were weighed before they were allowed to exist. Small movements lost their casual nature, carrying quiet intention instead. A hand adjusting a sleeve, a glance held a fraction too long—nothing was careless anymore.
It felt like something was watching. Whether it was real no longer mattered.
They sat in a loose circle beneath the sterile glow, fully exposed from every angle. No shadow concealed, no distance spared. Every shift, every glance, every breath existed in full view as the interface at the center pulsed faintly.
「10:25 | Day 2 │ Discussion Phase – Active」
The silence that followed stretched thin across the room, held as though each of them understood that the first voice to break it would shape everything that came after. No one rushed to speak. It settled into something shared—something tangible.
It held—just long enough—before Silver spoke.
"We're forgetting one thing," Silver said, her voice cutting cleanly through the silence as her gaze settled across the room. "There aren't just one or two threats."
She let the words sink in, then added without changing tone. "There are three."
Eirene leaned forward slightly, her brows drawing together as the implication took shape in real time, her gaze moving across the circle as though searching for something to anchor the idea before it slipped away.
"Three hunters…" she murmured, more to the thought itself than to anyone in particular, her voice quieter than usual but steady. "So last night could've had three actions?"
Vanitas's fingers tapped lightly against her arm, her gaze drifting for a brief moment before returning with a faint shift in focus. Something had clicked—her expression sharpening just enough to show it.
"A silence, a poison, and…" Vanitas trailed off, her gaze shifting as though following the thought to its natural end before it fully formed. "Nothing else obvious. Unless someone's already dead and we just didn't notice."
The faint curve of her smile lingered just long enough to let the implication settle, and Fuji choked.
"Don't joke like that—!" he coughed, bringing a hand to his chest as he steadied himself, recovering quickly. "I literally didn't see Asher until halfway through the room entry sequence."
The moment fractured slightly around him, but Silver did not follow it.
"One of them aimed to weaken. One aimed to mute," she continued evenly, her tone unchanged as her gaze lowered briefly in thought. "The third… might've failed."
Lux shifted subtly in her seat, resting her elbow against the armrest as she leaned into it, her posture relaxed at a glance, though her focus remained sharp.
"Or waited," she said softly, her voice slipping into the space without breaking its rhythm. "Sometimes the smartest play is not playing yet."
The idea lingered—not rejected nor fully accepted, but present.
Shun spoke after a brief pause, his voice even and controlled as his gaze moved across the circle, never settling for too long.
"Someone's testing the waters," he said. "Watching who reacts."
Akhina slumped deeper into her seat, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, her glare unfocused but intense as it fixed somewhere near the center of the room. The frustration didn't land on anyone—it lingered, contained, carried in the slight tightening of her jaw.
Beside her, Asher watched without appearing to, his posture relaxed, though the tension in his shoulders gave him away. A faint sheen of sweat lined his temple as his gaze flicked toward her, then away again before it could linger.
"Not even a clue she was silenced by me." His jaw tightened. "She's going to kill me if she figures it out."
He forced his gaze forward, smoothing his expression into something neutral, as if nothing had changed.
Across the circle, Kusako sat quietly with her hands folded in her lap, her fingers lightly gripping her sleeve. Her gaze remained lowered—not disengaged, but focused—as she followed the conversation with quiet attention, catching details others might have already let slip.
Noah, by contrast, appeared almost completely still, his presence easy to overlook at a glance. His expression remained neutral, his posture composed, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere.
His gaze dipped slightly, just enough to change his angle without drawing notice. Beneath the table, patterns revealed themselves in fragments—foot placement, weight distribution, the small adjustments people made without thinking. Fuji leaned unevenly when still. Silver remained centered. Akhina's stance held tension. Ace carried a faint drag at the heel.
The details settled quietly into place, forming something incomplete, but enough.
Nearby, Vanitas leaned into her hand, her gaze drifting between them as a faint smile curved at her lips. "So… three hunters," she murmured, her tone light but thoughtful. "No confirmed kills. Only messy clues." Her eyes moved across the room, the idea settling into something almost playful. "Feels like we're just the opening act."
The thought lingered in the air, tightening it just slightly, the room holding onto it—
until a voice slipped cleanly through the silence.
"Darlings!" Tallia chimed brightly, her voice filling the chamber with an ease that felt just a little too perfectly timed. She stood near the central pillar, one hand resting loosely against her tablet, her smile already in place as her gaze passed over the room.
"I hate to cut this short, but the Discussion Phase is almost over."
She tapped the edge of the device once, absently, as if the timing had always been hers to decide.
"Since this is your first Voting Phase, we'll keep things simple. Each role gives you one vote—so if you happen to have two…" Her lips curved faintly, the pause lingering just long enough to be noticed. "…you'll be voting twice."
The screen in her hand flickered for a split second, a brief distortion that she didn't acknowledge.
"Of course, it's not always that straightforward." Her gaze shifted again, slower this time, as though she were watching for something rather than explaining it. "Some roles interfere. Vote stealing, blocking, all that stuff."
Her thumb brushed lightly across the edge of the tablet.
"So even if you do cast your vote…" she continued, her voice softening just slightly, almost thoughtful, "…there's no guarantee it ends up where you expect~!"
The effect was immediate, subtle but undeniable, as the room seemed to tighten around the implication, thoughts stalling just long enough for uncertainty to settle deeper than before.
"You'll notice there's a small private door behind each of your chairs," she added lightly, gesturing around the room as a few of them turned instinctively, drawn to something that hadn't been there—or had, unnoticed until now.
"One person per room. Step in when you're ready and cast your vote in private." Her eyes curved faintly, her tone bright to the end. "Good luck~!"
A soft glow flickered across their watches in unison, quiet and synchronized, the signal passing through them without needing explanation.
「Voting Phase Begins Soon – 00:00:10」
Ace leaned back with a groan, stretching her arms before letting them fall. "Ugh… I haven't even finished accusing anyone yet."
Eirene pressed her fingers to her temple. "Then vote with your gut. Worst case, we all die spectacularly."
Fuji lifted his head. "I swear if I get—"
The words cut off as the moment moved past him.
Chairs began to shift, the sound subtle but final, as the central pillar pulsed with a low red glow that spread outward in a steady rhythm. The system's voice followed without delay, calm and detached.
「Voting Phase begins now.」
The shift wasn't clean. Chairs scraped at uneven times as some stood immediately while others hesitated, lingering a second too long. Movement broke the circle gradually, not all at once—steps slow, uncertain, a few glances cast back before turning forward again. The room loosened into scattered motion, each person moving at their own pace until, one by one, they stepped into the booths and the doors closed behind them.
Fuji let out a quiet breath as the door shut behind him, leaning back against the wall while the interface lit up in front of him. The names appeared in a neat, evenly spaced list, their simplicity at odds with what they meant. His gaze moved over them without settling, not reading yet—just taking them in.
"If I were Shun…" A faint grin tugged at the corner of his lips as the thought settled in, light but deliberate. "Who would I kill?"
His finger hovered for a moment.
"Actually…"
He tapped. The system confirmed instantly.
"Yeah… that'll do."
In the next booth, Lux stayed standing after the door closed, the screen lighting up as the names appeared in a neat list.
"The first vote sets the tone…"
Her eyes moved across them, slower than usual, thinking it through.
"That means I can't be too obvious. I need something where I can shift later."
Her finger pressed the screen without hesitation. The system confirmed instantly. She lowered her hand and turned away, already done with it.
Akhina's gaze sharpened the moment the names appeared, her focus locking onto the screen as her jaw tightened.
Her finger hovered for a second.
"Yeah, I don't care who the hunters are right now. Who the fuck muted me?" The words stayed in her head, sharp and immediate.
Her eyes moved across the list, slower this time, not really thinking it through—just going off instinct, trying to match the feeling. It had to be someone who knew her, or someone who found her too loud.
"…It's gotta be one of you."
Her finger pressed down, a little harder than needed. The system accepted it without pause.
Asher stared at the list, the names lined up too neatly for something that was supposed to matter. His fingers hovered above the screen, unmoving.
His gaze drifted across the names, then back again. "Who should I even vote for?"
He exhaled quietly, shoulders loosening a little—then his eyes flicked back up, something lighter slipping in.
"…or I could just mess with it."
A small, cheeky smirk tugged at his lips.
"Yeah, why not?"
His finger tapped his name, and the system confirmed instantly.
He leaned back slightly, the smirk lingering. "…let's see how that plays out."
Across from him, Shun didn't hesitate. The names came up, and he gave them a quick once-over, then tapped without much pause. The confirmation flashed, and he was already turning away, as if he'd already decided before even stepping in.
Vanitas lingered where she was, her gaze resting on the screen before drifting away as she tried to piece things together from memory instead. Faces, reactions, small moments—nothing clear enough to hold onto.
"Who even stood out?"
Nothing did.
She exhaled softly, shoulders easing.
"That's hard to guess. I barely know half of you."
Her eyes returned to the list, unfocused now.
"…yeah, no."
Her hand lowered without pressing anything.
"I'll just skip this one."
Kusako stood there a little too long, fingers tightening around her sleeve as she stared at the list. The names didn't even register properly—just rows of people she wasn't sure about.
"…what if I pick wrong?"
She swallowed, trying to steady herself.
"It's just the first vote… right?"
But it didn't feel small.
Her hand hovered, hesitating, then slowly pressed the screen anyway. The confirmation appeared, simple and quiet. She looked at it for a second, then lowered her hand, the uneasiness still sitting in her chest.
Silver didn't look at the screen right away. She stood still, arms loosely folded, replaying the discussion in her head—what was said, what wasn't, and what didn't quite hold up.
Eirene's defense earlier hadn't landed. Too thin and uncertain.
And that was enough.
Silver's finger pressed the screen without hesitation. The confirmation appeared instantly, and she lowered her hand, already done with it.
Noah didn't look at the names right away. His gaze stayed lowered as he ran through what he'd already picked up—small details, patterns, the one person that hadn't quite sat right.
He already had a guess. This vote would simply test it.
When he finally looked up, his eyes went straight to the name. No hesitation this time. His finger tapped once, clean and quiet. The system confirmed instantly, and he stepped back like that was all he needed.
Eirene didn't wait.
The moment the names appeared, her expression tightened, the irritation from earlier settling back in. She didn't bother scanning the whole list; her focus was already locked.
"Yeah, no. If you're gonna push me like that…"
Her jaw set.
"Then I'm voting you right back, Silver."
Her finger pressed down without pause.
"Payback!"
The confirmation flashed, and she didn't look at it twice.
Ace leaned back against the wall, twirling a strand of her hair as she stared at the screen, already looking a little over it.
"Hmm, okay…"
Her eyes drifted, not really reading the names, just replaying the room instead—who said what, how they reacted, what felt off.
A small smile crept in.
"Let's get spicy."
Her finger tapped the screen in one quick motion. The system confirmed instantly, the interface giving a faint pulse as the timer ticked down.
「Voting Phase Ending – 00:00:09」
The doors slid open one by one, and they stepped back out at different paces, some quicker than others, some slower, lingering just a second before fully leaving the booth. No one really looked at each other at first. A few glanced around, subtle, almost cautious, like they were trying to read the room without being caught doing it.
They returned to their seats, not quite in sync, chairs shifting softly as they sat. The space looked the same as before, nothing had changed, but it didn't feel the same anymore. Something about it had tightened.
A few eyes flicked up. Some avoided looking at anyone at all.
Their watches pulsed at the same time.
「All votes locked. Calculation processing…」
"…so," Ace started, glancing around with a small tilt of her head, "are we allowed to ask who everyone voted for, or is that like—illegal?"
"Pretty sure that defeats the whole point," Fuji replied, leaning back slightly. "But I mean… I'm curious."
"Obviously," Eirene muttered, crossing her arms. "That's why it's private."
Vanitas hummed softly, her gaze drifting between them. "I wonder who's getting voted out first."
"Hopefully not me," Fuji said immediately.
Akhina scoffed under her breath.
A few glances passed around the circle—quick, subtle, searching. No one lingered too long.
Shun observed the room without appearing to, his gaze moving slowly across the circle, not searching or accusing, but watching. "Someone's going to flinch."
Lux closed her eyes briefly, a faint smile resting at the edge of her lips, her posture relaxed in a way that did not quite match the tension surrounding them. "Then let them panic."
Fuji leaned back in his seat, stretching slightly as if trying to ease the stiffness from his shoulders, though his eyes remained open, flicking across the room with quiet awareness.
"Just don't vote for me and we're cool."
Silver remained completely still, her posture unchanged, her gaze steady and unfaltering as though fixed on something beneath the surface rather than anything visible in front of her.
Noah did not move at all, his presence quiet enough to fade into the stillness of the room, yet his focus remained absolute, anchored somewhere no one else could reach.
Above them, the projection began to spin, light folding inward as it gathered and tightened, the motion steady before slowing, then slowing again, until it came to a stop. The silence stretched with it—thin and tight—until even the smallest sound felt wrong. A chair creaked softly, and no one reacted. No one shifted. No one spoke.
「Voting results calculated.」
The pause that followed lingered longer than it should have, heavy enough to make the stillness feel deliberate.
「Displaying name of the most voted player…」
No one moved or spoke, the tension settling deeper as every second dragged, the space between them tightening as they waited for the name to appear.