MC: if you clicked on this expecting my usual writing shenanigans... this is not it, tbh I'm not even sure what /this/ is? An attempt at humor? A misguided and poorly executed idea that I'm posting anyways? Directionless drivel? The answer is probably yes to all of those
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"G-guys?" Ruby whimpered, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, "Hello?"
Her lower lip begins to tremble as the silence continues to stretch on. With each beat of quiet that ticked on the fact that all her friends were dead finally sunk in.
Now with trepidation she steps cautiously down the long alley way. With a trembling hand she keeps the gun she had picked up from next to her sister's lifeless body out and pointed forward. Each step echoed in the empty space causing her to slightly flinch each time.
"T-this isn't fun anymore!" the girl cries to no one in particular. But then that's when she hears it, a sickeningly sweet chuckle followed by a way too friendly voice given the situation.
"Don't worry Ruby~ your shiny onee-sama is here to put you out of your misery."
"M-mari-san, it was you?" Ruby jumped in surprise and did a one eighty in the alley no frozen on the spot but furiously looking left and right to find the body that belong to the detached voice."
"Correct, I was the killer all along! And your prize for figuring that out little Ruby-chan is that you get to be my next victim!"
The smile was clearly heard in the blondes' voice, she was definitely having way too much fun right now. As for Ruby her trembling became even worse as tears started to blur her vision. The faint sound of footsteps ring out and put Ruby on edge, the gun shaking in her hands.
The next few moments happen in a blur. Mari suddenly yells as she jumps off the bridge above Ruby's head and lands behind the girl, knife raised and at the ready. Ruby lets out a loud 'pigii' as she turns around instantly barely registering Mari's figure in front of her. Mari smiles manically down at Ruby and begins to swing the knife down but before the target can find home Ruby screams, closes her eyes, and pulls the trigger.
Bang
….and then nothing.
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What feels like forever passes before Ruby opens her eyes again, encouraged by the sound of cheers and praise.
Slowly opening one eye Ruby looks at the screen and in bold blue letters the words 'Bystanders Win!' stares back at her. In that moment something like relief floods through Ruby's veins as she finally relaxes her tense muscles as the voices of the other members of Aqours finally begin to register in her mind.
"Ruby-chan that was amazing! I thought Mari-chan had the upper hand on you but you just whipped around like something out of an action flick and got her!" Chika cheered
"I can't believe I was the first one killed," Yoshiko's whine was evident even through the headset, "Mari what the heck how did you get me like instantly?"
"That's what happens when you spawn right next to me Yo~Ha~Ne. When I see an opportunity I attack!"
"I swear I didn't even see you once throughout the whole match until suddenly you were behind me" Riko piped up.
"….."
"Hanamaru-chan your mic is muted," Yō pointed out
"Mari literally ambushed Yō and I, and right as I was about to find the last clue I needed for a gun."
"I think we're all missing the point here!" Dia loud and commanding voice silences he voice comms, "Did you guys here how she started talking to Ruby? My poor little sister being taunted by such a heartless monster."
"…."
"Your microphone is still muted Hanamaru-san" Riko says
"Oh yeah, Ruby-chan, are you okay? You haven't said anything this whole time." Yō asks, her voice laced with concern.
But Ruby didn't even hear her. Headset removed from her ears ages ago Ruby had escaped from her desk and curled up on her bed with one of her many stuffed animals held in her arms. And her eyes firmly planted on the screen of her phone which was currently filled with cats.
"Bandit I feel like I just discovered a new scary side of Mari-san today…" she whispers to the digital feline who wasn't even paying attention to her, too focused on playing with a ball of yarn. And yet Ruby didn't mind as she continued to just watch the tortoiseshell kitty play as she tried to forget the tramatic experience she just had.
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MC: it's funny I got inspired to write this while rewatching AH's cloudberry kingdom series haha. Also there'll probably be a part 2 to show how a whole round pans out from start to finish.