Chapter 7: Episode 7

Yuki knew she couldn't put this off for long, that it would be fruitless effort to try to find the diary even if she managed to turn the house upside down. But…to kill Reisuke? A child? When Yuto suggested such a thing, Yuki couldn't help but shake in horror. She knew that Yuto had little compassion for those who got in his way, hence his lack of hesitance to make a direct move. However, she couldn't bear to imagine a five-year-old's blood being spilled, but she also didn't expect a five-year-old to be the bearer of one of the diaries or a strategic mastermind.

Reisuke nearly killed Yuto last night. Children of his age should be innocent and carefree, not ostracizing someone's death through electrocution. Perhaps being a participant in this survival game that Deus had came up with had corrupted him, making his psyche so warped from the fear and anticipation of having to kill or be killed. Yuki knew that she took the same toll, yet maybe the influence was stronger on toddlers.

The girl paused in her digging and her brows knitted together. Toddlers, huh? Were there others as young as Reisuke? Or around her and Yuto's age? She didn't exactly get a good look at the contestants when Deus first summoned them to his open-air chamber, but there was a possibility that kids were also subjected to this blood and war.

Deus was more of a coldhearted bastard than she thought.

Yuki sighed and absently poked the ground with gardening tool. "Rei-kun didn't go outside at all, did he?" she wondered aloud. Her eyes flickered upwards and saw the nearby market sign that stood tall above the backyard fence. "Oh yeah, he did go to the convenience store with Mom. Say, Yuto, could he…"

When she turned around, the boy wasn't there. The hold she had on the handle loosened and the shovel dropped to the ground. Her voice was filled with dread when she spoke, "Yuto…"

The next thing she knew, she was running around the house to the backdoor. There were sounds of banging that resounded through the walls, and Yuki hoped dearly that mother would overlook this as some kind of silly roughhousing between the two males.

Unfortunately, she hoped too late when she entered the house to only find the woman collapsing to the floor under the force of the hammer that Yuto was wielding. In her shock, Yuki didn't even notice Reisuke scurry past her outside.

"Yuto!"

A/N: Sorry for the REALLY short chapter. I promise for a quick update and a longer chapter.