Chapter 4

Back within the empty, clear white room. The remaining participants all stepped in a few were trembling in fear with their eyes wide open, others masked their fear with a calm façade, and only a few seemed unfazed. In the previous room, the sounds of people screaming in terror and the viscous sound of bones cracking echoed into the white room. The air within the room the air felt thick, which made it difficult to breathe.

Kaito, along with Akira, continued pestering Sakura with a barrage of questions revolving around her survival. All while Akira slightly winced at the sound of people dying.

"So why do you have to sacrifice a family member's life?" Akira asked.

"Because, you need a tribute to bring back a life" Sakura responded.

"But why a family member?" Akira continued asking

"Because they needed someone within the same bloodline" Sakura responded with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"But why wou—"

"How was the afterlife like?" Kaito asked, cutting off Akira's question.

Akira and Sakura turned their attention to Kaito. Kaito stood there with a perplexed expression. Sakura sighed and responded.

"I had barely passed on yet"

"But did you at least see something?" Kaito asked

"What do you not get about 'had barely passed on yet" Sakura asked her annoyance feigning.

"That I was so close to happiness" Kaito responded sarcastically.

Akira let out a light chuckle at Kaito and Sakura's back-and-forth banter.

Suddenly, another howling scream had emerged. Immediately, everyone turned their attention towards the opened door, and on the floor was a man with a dismembered leg slowly dragging his body upon the concrete-like floor towards the white room. He grunted and panted in agony with every slide across the floor. Everyone continued watching the man as they appeared hesitant in helping the man. Finally, the man had made it to the doorway when suddenly…

"Alright, ladies and gents, time's up! The game is over!"

Just as the man had reached the doorway, the large door at an alarming speed slammed shut. The only thing that had made go the other side was his forearm, which had separated from his body from the slam. Everyone looked in shock and horror at the dismembered forearm. Suddenly, the sounds of screaming were heard from the other side of the door. The screams continued on for a while. Everyone was in a state of terror after hearing the cries. After a while, it went quiet, the screaming had died down, and no one uttered a single word.

At that moment Kaito turned his attention to Akira. Akira's smile slowly faded away, his eyes had a hint of fear within them, his breath and hands were shaky and a single tear drop began to form in the corner of his eye. Akira remained in that position for a few moments until he slowly brought his hands towards his face and clenched his head. Kaito and Sakura continued to watching in anticipation, observing his reaction. Akira crouched on the floor and he began forcefully laughing. The laughter sounded forced and terrifying.

Everyone in the room were stuck within their to even notice the laughter. The laughter grew louder and louder all the while all Kaito could think about was.

I guess he's finally snapped.

"That's the spirit Akira Kishida! Laughter truly is the best medicine!" the voice spoke.

Every participant continued staring at the door in fear. Akira's laughter continues to drown the room.

"So, I certainly enjoyed the entertainment, and I'm certainly feeling happy too, so… you are all free to return home. I can't wait to see you for the next game!"

One by one, people were enveloped in a bright light and vanished from the room. In the empty white room which was once filled with sobs, a few fallen tear drops on the floor, a severed forearm with blood seeping from it, only one person remained.

"So, Kaito Arima, what do you think about the games so far?"

Kaito lifted his head and stared at the white ceiling with a blank expression. He breathed out a sigh, and upon his face, a small smile had formed.

"Minus the dying bit, the annoying screams and mental breakdowns? Well, it was the most fun I've ever had" Kaito remarked.

"Is that so?"

"Yep"

"You truly are one interesting individual"

"Nothing wrong about being different"

"I don't disagree with your statement. You know, you and I aren't so different…" the mysterious voice said as it began reminiscing.

"Interesting" Kaito responded with a lack of interest in his voice.

"…I can tell you really don't care about anything I'm going to say"

"Look, if I wanted to hear an overused villian monologue, I'd be sitting at home watching anime. As a matter of fact, why haven't you sent me home?"

"I just thought you'd be curious about who I am or why I show interest in you specifically" the voice responded with a desperation in its usual cheerful tone.

"Nah, too much effort." Kaito responded nonchalantly.

"Well, You could try to liste—"

"Nope, now send me home god-dude"

The voice tried to muster a convincing arguing but it realized how futile it would've been.

"… fine" the voice responded with reluctance in its tone.

In a blink of an eye, what was once a white room in front of Kaito's eyes was now a barely lit room. The only source of light was the moonlight seeping through the window. The chirping of crickets corresponds with the change in setting. Kaito took a gander around the the room, his eyes lay upon a bed perched near the windowsill on his right hand side, a desk with a lamp upon it on his left hand side. He familiarized himself with his surroundings and lowered his guard. He breathed out a sigh and said…

"Finally, I thought that guy would never shut up."

Kaito turned to face the window, and his eyes shot wide open when he had noticed the night sky. He darted his gaze towards his alarm clock beside his bed. The digital clock displayed the current time,11:05pm.

"I could've sworn it was daytime a few moments ago"

A sudden realization kicked and immediately he quickly rushed downstairs, towards the living room and at first glance he noticed the lights were on and the door was left wide open but he ignores it and makes a detour towards the kitchen. He steps into the kitchen and quickly approaches the fridge. He opened the fridge in a panicked like state as he began looking aimlessly for leftovers.

"Aww, what! Nothing! Guess I've gotta make myself something to eat now." Kaito groaned as his stomach growled in hunger.

Kaito began darting his eyes left and right, scouring for anything he could prepare to quench his hunger.

"Ugh… this is so difficult" Kaito groaned again.

As Kaito continued to ponder on his food options, he heard the chambering sound of a gun.

"Freeze! Put your hands where I… Kaito?" The voice of a female cop emerged.

"Hi, mom" Kaito said while he rested his hand upon his chin.

Kaito's mother returned her gun back into its holster, and she approached Kaito with a hint of relief on her face. She wrapped him in an embrace.

"You're safe" she said with relief in her voice.

"Uh… of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Kaito said with confusion in his voice as he struggled to pull away from her hug.

She slowly pulls away from the hug, and her relief expression contorted into one of concern and irritation.

"Where have you been? You had me worried sick about you!"

At that second, a thought came into Kaito's mind. I can't tell her where I really was or what I was doing or else she'd freak. OK, so I just need to stay calm and hide the truth within a lie, not too difficult, right?

"I was out" Kaito responded.

"Where? and with who?" Kaito's mother asked with skepticism in her voice.

"Akira and I went to go see something, and we got sidetracked talking about rock climbing"

"Akira? Oh, your best friend from middle school. How is he doing?" Kaito's mother asked her guard slightly lowered.

"He's coping" Kaito responded.

"With?"

"Loss"

"That's sad to hear. Who passed away?" She asked with a hint of remorse in her tone.

"Someone. You wouldn't know them"

Before Kaito's mother was about to ask another question, Kaito's stomach growled again. Kaito wrapped his arm around his gut. Kaito's mother let out a sigh and a light chuckle. She proceeded to ruffle his hair and said.

"I guess you're also hungry. Cmon, kiddo, I'll make us something to eat."

"No way, really? Thanks mom" Kaito said.

Kaito proceeded to ascend upstairs towards his bedroom. He opened his room door and slowly mace his way towards his bed.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something, but what?" Kaito muttered to himself.

He slowly took off his uniform, which he had been wearing ever since he had returned home from school.

After a while, he had completely changed into his pajamas, courting a plain white t-shirt and long gray pajama bottoms. He laid upon his bed, watching a series of videos.

"I swear, I feel like I should be doing something now" Kaito muttered under his breath.

The smell of food wafts through the air, and Kaito's stomach growled louder in response. Kaito's mouth began to water and he quickly leaped from his bed and hurriedly made his way downstairs. His eyes flared open as he saw the fresh white rice prepared in a bowl prepared along side with miso soup and croquettes on the dining table. Kaito's mouth continued to water at the sight of the meal.

Kaito slowly made his way towards the dining table, and soon after, his mother joined to take her seat. They brought their hands together in a prayer-like position.

"Thanks for the food" They said in unison.

Kaito and his mother maneuvered a pair of chopsticks, and they began to happily partake in their meals.

In between the meal while Kaito was enjoying the sensation of the soup melting in his mouth combined with the texture of the rice, Kaito's mother opened her mouth to speak.

"So, how was school?" Kaito's mother asked.

"It was good" Kaito responded.

"I know you can give more than 'It was good' like, did anything interesting happen?"

"Not really" Kaito responded nonchalantly.

"So, no girl that caught your attention or school fights?"

"Firstly, I tend not to focus on forming intimate relationships, and secondly, I don't think parents are supposed to wish for school fights." Kaito said in a matter-of-fact tone as he proceeded to take another bite of his rice.

"I know, it's just that you barely tell me what's going on in your life anymore—"

"Please don't" Kaito interrupted her sentence as he pleaded.

"Please don't, what?" Kaito's mother asked.

"You were about to reminisce about my toddler days and how you miss those days"

"But you were so cute and active back then."

"I know, but I'd rather not remember those times" Kaito remarked with a hint of embarrassment.

"OK, but what about the time you…"

As time went on, the house was filled with the sound of chatter mixed with eating. As Kaito and his mother finally finished their meals, Kaito's mother stood up and began to collect the dishes tonprepare to wash them. Kaito made his upstairs back to his room and closed his room door. He turned off the lights and plopped right into bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a single thought in mind.

I swear I should be doing something for tomorrow, but what? Meh, It probably doesn't matter if I'm only thinking about it now. Although I get the sudden feeling that it's important.

Kaito sighs and finally drifts to sleep.

The following day was greeted with the sun positioned diagonally across the sky preparing to set, the gentle breeze of the wind seeping through a classroom window and the harmonious sound of birds chirping. Within the classroom, the students all collectively smile and converse with one another all the while the teacher sat there prepping for their next lesson. As time continued to progress within the classroom, Kaito was holding a piece of paper with a defeated expression. I single thought rang through his head.

I can't believe I failed…

The paper within Kaito's hand was a graded test paper. The paper had the current date written on it, along with the number forty-seven percent written in red pen. Kaito maintained his defeated facial expression and rested his head upon his desk. Besides Kaito's desk was another desk belonging to none other than Sakura Yamada, who was currently occupied with writing something within her planner. Kaito took a small peek at her paper and noticed the surprisingly ninety-eight percent on her paper, written in the same red pen. The sight alone only worsened his mood further.

The bell finally rang, and the school day had successfully concluded. One by one, each student began gathering the books and stationery and packing them into their bags, leaving the sound of chairs scraping the floor. They all stood from their seats and vacated the classroom while immersed in their conversations. Soon after, the teacher followed along.

As the class slowly descended to quietness. Kaito remained seated in his desk in the same position as before. Until he felt the presence of someone hovering over him, but he was currently drowning in despair to even focus on the presence. At that moment, the presence cleared its throat and spoke.

"Wake up idiot" The voice was feminine and contained annoyance within it.

Kaito recognized the voice but continued to rest his head on the desk, and he continued to lay there unresponsive.

"Arima, wake up" The voice sounded more irritated.

"Just leave me alone…" Kaito responded.

After Kaito responded, he immediately felt a painful chop hit his head. The force from the chop was so strong it felt like a brick had hit his head. Kaito reflexively raised his head and began rubbing the injury. He looked up at the figure in front of him, and it was none other than Sakura.

"Ow!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Listen here, Arima, I'm here to help you prep for your next paper. Not because I want to but because I have to. Now quit being a complete jackoff and cooperate" Sakura said with irritation and anger in her voice.

"Firstly, I only failed by three percent, and secondly, I could've easily passed if I didn't forget to study." Kaito responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kaito continued to rub his head and gazed at Sakura with irritation, and then he spoke up again.

"Actually why do you even have to help me?" Kaito asked.

"As the student council president, it is my responsibility to set an example for my fellow peers, no matter how annoying they are" Sakura answered.

"Some example you're setting…" Kaito mutters to himself.

Sakura having had heard Kaito's silent remark she grit her teeth, her frustration was clearly evident from her facial expression. She clenched her fist tightly. She was resisting the urge to just attack Kaito again. Eventually she took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled to calm herself. She turned her attention to Kaito and forced a friendly smile.

"Mr. Arima, please don't make this difficult than it already is, or I might have to resort to physical 'encouragement'." Sakura said in a friendly tone a contrast from her usual irritation and annoyance.

Kaito stood up from his seat and he scoffs at Sakura's threat.

"I'd like to see you try, but just so you know, unlike other guys, I'm not afraid to hit a girl." Kaito remarked.

The two glared at each other in silence, their hatred for one another increasing by the second. Their glares were so intense that it felt like sparks flying across the room. The two didn't utter a single word to one another.

As their glares intensified, a raven with glossy-like black feathers carrying a black envelope in its beak flew in through the opened window. Kaito and Sakura quickly turned their attention to the raven. The bird flew around the classroom in a single loop, and it landed on Kaito's desk. Kaito and Sakura continued gazing at the raven and the contents within its mouth. The raven dropped the envelope, and it spread it's before finally taking off and flying out the window it came in.

Kaito and Sakura watched as the raven flew off, and without any warning, Kaito snatched the letter from the table. Before Kaito could reveal its contents, Sakura snatched it out of his hands.

"Hey!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Shut it" Sakura commanded.

Sakura slowly opened the letter, and inside was a folded piece of paper with writing on it. Sakura unfolded the letter and began reading it all the while Kaito watched and waited in anticipation.