Editor: Fee5H

A/N: There is an FTE poll on my profile, please vote for who you wish to see Reiko interact with next time.

What even is heaven? Or hell, for that matter?

Two metaphorical yet highly feared destinations. If there was a way to scientifically prove one or the other existed, what's the point of fearing either? I've contemplated what it would be like to die. I know that sounds very nihilistic and so 'not like other girls' of me, but once you've seen the worst of what humanity has to offer, how could you sit there with a straight face and tell me I'm deserving of the silver cities or the fiery pits?

I guess you could say I'm the prime example of the so-called blight on humanity. I didn't deserve anyone's pity. It made me want to throw up. Death was just another reminder we were all equal, and yet some feel they're more superior and worthy of deeming others as unfit to breathe the same air as them. The thing is, I never considered myself to be better than anyone else….

So why does everyone treat me like I deserved so much worse in life?

I really should stop internalizing these fucking depressing thoughts. Maybe journaling would be a better use of my time. Maybe Alexander is rubbing off on me. I don't like the sound of that. Last night was one of the most exhausting things ever. A never-ending fever dream. I wanted to pretend it was another hallucinogenic nightmare, wrought upon by my lack of a proper sleep schedule.

I even hoped I was actually dead, with this being some purgatory I've ended up in, waiting to be judged for my sins. I never expected the afterlife, assuming this was it, would look so decadent and opulent. There I go again, acting theatrical with all that purple prose nonsense. I really need to get a grip…

Unfortunately for me, a voice disrupted the momentary silence I wished would last longer. An annoyingly bright flash of light tickled my eyelids. I had to squint at the annoying image on the TV across from my bed. A loud bell sounded in the distance. I was all too familiar with that obnoxious ringing noise. I just wanted it to go away.

"Ahem! The time is seven o'clock." The demonic visage of Monolord popped in like a video game jumpscare, holding a gold-encrusted leaf wine glass filled halfway with blood wine. The sunrise seeped in through the glass-paneled windows behind him. "On this glorious new day, I wish you all a pleasant good morning. Breakfast shall be served at eight o'clock sharp. Do not be late."

His deep voice was ironically captivating to listen to, but thankfully he was brief and to the point. I'd call it deja vu if it weren't so poetically convenient we were all trapped inside some ancient manor, forced to do their bidding. I mentally fought with myself on whether to stay swaddled in my warm, comforting blankets or face the day with a bunch of psychopaths who could come after me at any time. If this were like other killing games, there would be rules established beforehand. We must be getting them at breakfast.

"Fuck…" I groaned out half-heartedly as I wrestled to get out of bed, "So this is what it's like to not worry about bed bugs in the mattress or stenches on the pillow covers… That was….oddly rejuvenating." Who knew a full night's rest would be so rewarding?

I had an hour left, so I immediately headed to the bathroom and did the dirty business. I still could not wrap my head around how both futuristic and modern the decor was inside, compared to everything else in the manor. It was like a time warp had encapsulated the place and messed with the internal consistency of the aesthetic. Taking a quick bath inside a fancy tub really helped ease my aching back and legs, which made no sense since I'm in the prime of my life, but who cares at this point.

Once I had finished, I put on a new, clean set of the same clothes. All of it fit me like a glove, somehow. To this day, I still don't understand who thought forcing us to wear the same types of clothes day in and day out was a good strategy, but I'm not a fashionista by any stretch. I would assume this was some wry commentary on how mediocre modern fashion has become, but it was never really my wheelhouse. I'm sure I'm the last person to be talking about high-end clothing when I shoplift from cheap clothing stores in outlet malls.

"Ding dong!" The gratingly loud door buzzer sound echoed throughout my room.

I was quite taken aback, though I shouldn't say I was surprised. I have no clue why anyone would want to see me first thing in the morning. Unless this person loves being around gloomy types for fun, I don't see why they should bother.

"Ding Dong! Ding Dong!" The ringing in my ears grew even more infuriating. I knew I could not escape this room any other way without severely injuring myself, so I did the normal person method. I grabbed my tote bag and opened the door. The moment I did, I wish I hadn't.

"Good morning, Reiko!" Kaguya's bright cheerful voice awakened me with an unpleasantly perky greeting, "Did you sleep well? I hope I'm not bothering you?"

I suppose she didn't learn from yesterday. I did not wish to speak with anyone, let alone another former mastermind. That stupid smile on her face was so coaxing, yet so aggravating, I wanted to wipe it off of her face in one clean slap. I was tempted to ignore her once more, but she seemed like the type to persist even when things didn't work out and I didn't have the energy to argue with anyone while still half asleep, so I forced a placid half smile and wiped my eyes of crusty discharge.

"I guess so…." I could only manage a wishy-washy mumble, "Though I distinctly remember saying we are not friends, nor will I pretend to be any time soon." I had hoped my cutting words would suffice. "So what the fuck are you doing at my door?"

The casting director seemed mildly offended, but bounced back, "Well then! I was just making sure you were still alive and well. Good to know you're in high spirits." Her gaze grew a tad playful. "You know with the whole announcement that happened yesterday; I'm surprised you haven't gotten yourself killed already. You know, with how vulgar you are." A clever comeback, I admit. "Either way, I'm just glad you're in one piece after last night's fiasco. I thought for sure one of us would have wound up dead."

"Heh, I didn't realize you were my long-lost mother." I rolled my eyes, but her concern was oddly nice to hear. "The doors are locked via keycard access. If they wanted my head, I would have been very snug in bed while they flailed about like the moron they were. We had to be let in via the staff, so I doubt one of us could have stealthily killed the other without vandalizing the place."

"That's true…" She put a finger to her lips, musing over the information. "That reminds me, did a maid come by your room last night? I assume she did, since I saw her roaming about the hallway looking rather dejected."

"Heh, she knocked on your door too? She wasn't exactly subtle in her approach…" I sighed, wiping my tired eyes once more, "The less said about that, the better." We both just stood there in awkward silence. Wasn't she supposed to be the chatty one? Come on, play the part right. "Are you waiting for a fucking invitation? Leave me alone."

"Oh…Oh right!" Everything about her was cheerful to the max. I hated it. "I'm sure you know the drill, but would you like to accompany me to breakfast?" Even the way she twirled her hair was annoying.

"No." Without a second thought, I brushed past her, almost knocking her over. She stumbled backwards but regained her footing. "As I said, don't bug me and we won't have any problems. Get that through your thick skull!"

"Goodness, talk about deja vu…" The casting director shrugged her shoulders, ignoring what I said and followed closely behind me, a bit too close for comfort for my liking.

Even though I had only just been to this place, I was able to memorize some of its layout. Somehow, I ambled my way down some stairs and Kaguya followed behind me a lost puppy. I'm assuming she's keeping an eye on me, or is secretly plotting to murder me when no one else is around. If that was her plan, she's not going to get the chance anytime soon.

On my way there, I observed two masked maids and one butler knocking on the doors to Hayami, Mifune, and Tetsuo's rooms, calling out to them in vain like that would expedite the process. Hyunjung and Shizuka trailed closely behind us, the former trying to make pleasant conversation with the latter, but it was very much an awkward one-sided conversation. The anxious looking white-haired girl covered herself in her black cloak. They eventually looked the other way, as if they didn't just meet each other a day ago.

"Good morning, Reikoooooo~" A voice that would send shivers down my spine crawled its way up to me. "Aww, you look so glum. Pray tell what troubles you, my little sour plum?"

The glitter imp slithered her way to my side, her arm perched itself around my shoulder almost tripping me up as I walked by. The very sight of her made me wish Hayami had followed through with beating her to a bloody, senseless pulp. Only in my wildest dreams would that have been possible. If only Takeru hadn't intervened to save her skin, from what I've heard.

"What do you want, Arsenia?" I glared at her, the bags encircling my eyes were not enough of a hint that I'm not in the mood to chat. "Don't you have someone else to bother with your stupid, whimsical antics?"

"My oh my, you sure are silver tongued first thing in the morning. Must there be a reason for me wanting to see your radiant smiling face when I arise~" No one is laughing at your dumb jokes. Stop making yourself look even more punchable, missy. "Don't look so peeved, Reiko. Things could be worse. I mean, it's not every day you get to experience a killing game in person. I, for one, am excited to see what it is like! You know I-"

I tuned out her voice practically the moment she went on some rambling monologue about other things I could give less of a shit about. I really was not in the mood to entertain her nonsense while still sleepy. As she blathered on and on, I spotted Balfour ahead of us, aimlessly standing about, giving us a quivering wave while trying to look confident as before.

"Yeah yeah, that's cool or whatever…" I shuffled out of her grasp, pushing her his way. "Hey, Balfour! You wanted to tell our dear Arsenia something, didn't you?"

The rainbow-colored street artist jumped when his name was called. "H-Huh!? I didn't-"

"Great! She's all yours! Have fun!" I wasted no time in getting the heck out of there. I should have signed up for the track team with how fast I bolted out of there.

"Oooh, what do you have to say to lil ol me, Bali?" Arsenia hummed, that mischievous tone still ringing in my ears as she swayed on her feet, rocking back and forth.

"U-Uh I ummm…." I could hear him whimpering from a mile away, but I did not have time to hear the rest of their vapid conversation. I made my way to the hallway outside of the dining room, though my brief reprieve would soon be upended. I turned the corner only to see someone rushing towards me like a supernova.

"Yay, she's arrived! I'm so glad you're finally awake! Happity happy morning to you, Rei Rei!" Kota jumped up and down with excitement, as if I was Santa with presents for him. I escaped one excitable imp only to be greeted by the manchild himself. "Why the long face? Are you being a pouty puss first thing in the morning? Maybe eating something sweet will cheer you up~"

"Please kill me now…." I groaned out, gripping the handle straps of my tote bag. "Hi Kota…."

"Good morning, Reiko." Keishi waved to me, his smile as bright as ever. "I hope you're doing well this morning. I can tell you're not getting enough rest. Your eye bags are darker than a raccoon's…" He cupped his fingers in an observing manner.

"Wow, thanks, I totally didn't notice that. Thanks for being the ten billionth person to mention that…" I had hoped my sarcastic comments would be enough for him to get the message.

"No silly, that would be impossible!" The peach-haired boy snickered, "I'm pretty sure there are only about... what was the number again? Maybe about eight billion people tops. Is that right, Keshy?"

"Give or take a few thousand or so," the white-haired man said while cupping his chin. Seems the two of them were already on best friend status.

"Amazing, that's such a big number!" The shorter boy was easily amused, as anyone could plainly make out. "That's a lot of new friends to potentially meet! Don't you agree, Reiko?"

I didn't humor his dumb response. Only glared at him, hoping to manifest my innate laser eye powers. I guess the social worker could sense the radiating tension, for he patted the children's party planner on the back and whispered something to him. Something about it felt very off-putting to me.

"Don't mind Ko. He was one of the few who got up early and just couldn't sit still." He took me off to the side, giving us space between Kota, "We'll give you some time to wake up and adjust." Though his comments seemed genuine, there was a thin veil of passive aggression to it. I was just thankful he got the message loud and clear.

Once I fully processed my bearings, I noticed some of the others waiting nearby. The doors to the dining room were closed and I could hear faint noises and footsteps coming from inside. Serina, Alexander, Kimiko, Takeru, Goro, Kei and Lucretius were all waiting like I was.

Kei sat on one of the available chairs, typing away on her laptop as she did yesterday, nodding her head to whatever sounds her headphones fed her, and ignoring everyone else around her. Kimiko also kept a good distance, casually giving occasional glances in our direction and looking bored in general. She honestly had the right idea, I wish I could do the same.

Serina was having a somewhat pleasant conversation with Lucretius and Goro. The three of them looked like they belonged here. They were like any other rich people you'd see lounging in a restaurant, discussing business with their future clients.

Takeru waved at me from nearby, giving me a small smile, but was more focused on the commotion behind us. Balfour was trembling in Arsenia's presence. Shizuka watched it from close by, on one of the chairs. Alexander leaned against a wall, his arms crossed, eyes closed like he was in deep thought.

Soon the others filed in thereafter. Hyunjung and Kaguya had caught up and were casually chatting away like lifelong best friends who hadn't seen each other in years. The ones who I hadn't seen also showed up. Mifune was all by herself, folding her arms and just standing there with a blank expression on her face, shifting about as if trying to not look suspicious. Judging from the bags underneath her eyes, she's not used to waking up early.

Hayami and Tetsuo were both grumbling something under their breaths, but the man was a lot more irritable and fidgety in comparison to the grumpy woman leaning against the wall and grumbling something under her breath. Hayami made a passing glance to Takeru, who instinctively inched away, almost recoiling in response to whatever she did to him after the incident with Arsenia.

All eighteen of us were here earlier than expected. The chatter had almost died down.

"..."

"Well this is fucking stupid!" A sentiment Hayami and I could wholeheartedly agree on, "Can one of you tell me what's going on here? Do I have to crack some more skulls to get some goddamn answers?"

"I would hope we would not have to resort to violence of any kind." Serina made her thoughts clear, sitting very ladylike in her seat, "We are not really in any position to combat our aggressors, not in the state we are in…"

"Fuck that noise." Hayami's biting words shocked her. "I don't know about you, princess, but I'm not going to sit by and let some renaissance-larping fuckwits keep me trapped here like some goddamn slave."

"There's no need for such crass language, Hayami." Keishi reproached the delinquent woman, almost covering Kota's ears on instinct. "I don't like it myself, but I think we should just play along with Monolord and Monolady for now. As revolting as that sounds."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Kota chimed in, looking back and forth at who was speaking as if he were viewing a tennis match. "I don't think Gramps or Granny would mind. At least I think they won't."

"I'm sorry but are you referring to…Oh!" Takeru finally realized who it was, "Nevermind, I was unsure who he was mentioning. Though I don't think you should say that to their faces, Kota." The field mechanic's worry was apparent to everyone.

"Why not? I mean, they do look old. They live in this wickedly cool mansion!" The wide-eyed wonder made me question even more if he was as old as he looked to be. "They must be ancient in that case, hence the nicknames!"

"Hey, Kota. Let's play a game of who can stay silent the longest, okay?" Kimiko gave the young boy a passive smile. "Can you do that for me?"

"Awwww... why am I always being left out of the conversation…" Kota puffed up his cheeks and pouted, his faint plea falling on deaf ears as the conversation continued.

"Anyway…we shouldn't be so quick to jump the gun here." The social worker continued, sighing deeply with his hands on his hips, "While I don't like the idea of complying with their demands, I agree with Serina that needless violence is not the way to go. Also, can you please stop swearing so frequently Hayami? It's quite irritating."

"Oooooh excuse me. I didn't realize you were the goddamn speech police, Mr. Goody Two Shoes." Tetsuo's mocking interjection, followed by a mischievous smile, was enough to put a frown on the social worker's face. "I don't care what those two fuddy duddies have to say. I just didn't expect you idiots to play nice and follow orders. How pathetic."

"If I'm not mistaken, weren't you so easily riled up when they ignored and insulted you yesterday?" Kimiko rightfully pointed out the flaw in his logic.

"I also recall you throwing a rather violent temper tantrum as well." Alexander jumped into the mix, his hand resting on his head, "I may not feel much joy for modern television myself, but doth the king protest too much to his own mad ramblings? You were on a rather cantankerous crusade against those devices. It was very peculiar."

"Isn't i-it k-kinda strange…" Shizuka softly spoke, "Y-Your talent implies t-that you work around them too….umm….I believe t-that's the case."

"Shut it, you fucking dweebs." The blonde gremlin was growling like a mad dog. "Just wait, you'll be begging for my mercy in due time." Anyone with eyes and ears could see that someone like him was not in his right mind, though he at least was one of the few who showcased his true colors right off the bat.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that…." Kei said, her eyes glued to her screen.

"Ahem! Pardon my interruption." Goro cleared his throat rather distinctly, "I think we all should really be discussing a way to negotiate with our captors, rather than antagonize them." Everyone's eyes trained on him. "It is my opinion that, since we are unable to find an exit…..we should simply play the part. At least for the time being."

"Dude, are you really throwing in the towel that quickly?" Hyunjung clicked his tongue. "I don't know about you guys, but this sounds sketchy as hell. I have a really bad feeling about all of this. This ain't some gimmicky haunted mansion, it's the real deal."

"If that's not the most cliche line I've ever heard, I don't know what is." Arsenia giggled like she heard him say a funny joke. "I, on the other hand, hope they can make this killing game entertaining to watch at the very least. I would hate for things to become predictable; don't you all agree?"

"I uh…I don't think any of us are treating this as lightly as you are, Arsenia." Takeru looked even more worried if that was the first thing she prioritized. "Sorry if this comes off rude, but this is not a situation you can casually joke about. I can't really speak for anyone else here, of course, but from the sounds of things, I'm pretty sure we're all feeling a bit on edge, if not scared."

"S-Speak for y-yourself, bro! I-I'm not all that s-scared, yo!" Balfour was trembling, but his attempt to continue this farce of bravado was becoming droll. "T-They wouldn't d-dare try to k-kill us or a-anything….I sure h-hope they don't…..uh…yeah!"

"You're not really giving us a vote of confidence there, Balfour." I shot down his words like an arrow aiming at a still target, "Does anyone else have any other bright ideas that don't involve us groveling on our knees or acting like complete suicidal fools?"

"Hmph, isn't it obvious? Everyone has a price." Lucretius sat confidently in his chair, dignifying us with his commentary. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could maybe persuade them with some generous incentives." He stroked his chin as he came up with that idea. "I have enough money to buy this entire mansion twice over. Though this place does not meet my standards, I'm sure they are open to naming their price."

"That is a potential option, but I don't think these sorts of people are that hard up for cash." Mifune chimed in. "And on the off chance they were, they live in luxury and seem to own this private estate." Someone actually said something that I agree with. This is new. "In short, buying our way out is probably a dead end and not worth pursuing."

"Spoken like someone who obviously lives from one paycheck to the next." His comment seemed to fly over the blue haired girl's head, "I have many other ways of greasing palms with things other than cash, my dear." A confident smirk etched its way on his face. "For now, I concede that you made a valid counterpoint, even if it reeks of poverty."

"Hmmm…on one hand, I kind of agree with Goro," Kaguya mused aloud, "Though I would probably not want to play nice with those two either. Maybe there are some places we haven't checked yet? It's not as if we got much investigation done in that short amount of time."

"Does it really matter?" Kimiko was clearly not impressed with this meandering conversation. "We haven't found anything. What's the point in doing another search?"

"There's no need to be a Debbie Downer, Kimiko." Keishi uncovered the children's party planner's ears. "I'm sure of our combined efforts, plus...our experience with these sorts of situations… Would benefit us, rather than hinder us, don't you think?"

"What a remarkable suggestion!" Serina agreed with his sentiment, "I believe that if we were to put our minds together, we could cooperate over how to best proceed."

"Sounds like a fool's errand to me…" Kei briefly added, still affixed to her typing.

"And do you perhaps have another avenue we could go about this, Kei?" Goro grew a bit worried about what was being discussed. "Anything would help."

She took a small breath. "I'm still trying to break through this firewall. If I could just get inside the security array, I'd have the whole algorithm swarming with bugs."

"You could have just said you didn't know." Kaguya sounded even more anxious than before. "What are we going to do now?"

Well this was a very insightful debate, said no one ever. Was it all a coincidence that we were all former masterminds? If so, were we all victims of that woman's despair brainwashing? I had no way of gauging who was being honest or lying through their teeth. Some of them had the best poker faces in the entire world, while others would spill their guts on the floor if it meant living another day. I'm still in awe at the fact we were all killing game experts who orchestrated death games across the world, and yet we fell victim to someone else's devious ploy in the aftermath. It was poetic in its irony, and I did not like where it was going.

As if on cue, the doors to the dining room burst open and a masked maid stepped through, greeting us with a perfect bow that would give geometric right angles a bout of envy.

"Good morning, honored guests of our lord and lady." Her tone was very formal. Not many inflections to note, other than it sounding rigid. "Thank you for your patience. You may enter the dining hall as you please and take your seats."

Without another word, the maid turned and walked to the side of the doorway, allowing us to see inside the dining hall, which was the same as when we last saw it. The only differences were the China plates and golden cutlery, about twenty sets, to fit the seating arrangement. Silver-domed lids covered the plating, though they couldn't contain the faint smell of something very delicious.

There was also a masked chef wearing an all-white chef's outfit, a poofy chef's hat, and a fiery orange mask of the same variety the maids and butlers wore. A singular red rose rested atop the mask. A few random maids and butlers stood still about the room close to the walls, almost statuesque in nature.

"Good morning, honored guests!" They all said in perfect unison. Very creepy.

"Now this is the service I expect to be treated to," Lucretius said, his smug grin forming from ear to ear, "I would be more than happy to oblige."

"So much for not meeting your standards…" Kei lazily blinked, unamused if anything.

"I feel like a storybook prince waiting to be served!" Kota's eyes lit up. Sparkles formed as if they were made out of stars. "I want to sit next to my newest best friends! Keshy and Seni!" He made a quick beeline for a seat, almost knocking the table over in his eagerness. He plopped down on one of the middle section seats.

"Slow down bud, haha." Keishi approached and sat next to the boy's right, ruffling his hair. Somehow, his faux cat ears didn't lose their shape.

"I would love nothing more than to be seated next to my future partner in crime, hehe!" Arsenia almost tap danced over to her seat, doing a small spin before situating herself to Kota's left side. The three of them giddily enjoyed the other's company.

"Normally, I'd sit at the head of the table," Lucretius huffed, eyeing the available spot away from the others, "But I imagine our hosts would not appreciate that, so you all are fortunate enough to be sat next to yours truly."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder." I snorted, sitting on one of the seats closest to the doorway, away from the stock broker, and so I could make a quick exit should things go south.

"After you, Serina." Goro pulled out a chair for the non-ultimate close to the fireplace.

"You are far too kind, Goro." She gave him a polite smile, sitting carefully and dusting off her dress' skirt. The train engineer sat next to her left. "I wonder what we are being served for breakfast? I hope it's nothing too unpleasant."

"I'm too hungry to fucking complain…" Hayami grumpily sat down in a seat, not caring where it was. "Tch! What are you looking at, weirdo!"

"N-Nothing!" Shizuka made the mistake of looking directly at the purple haired gorgon and scurried to a seat in the middle of Balfour and Kei. "E-Excuse me…"

"W-Woah…you almost p-p-pushed me out of my s-seat…" The street artist chuckled awkwardly. "Careful y-yo!"

"T-That's my fault. I'm sorry." She sat down, but quivered and almost hid herself with her cloak once more. "P-Please don't m-mind me.."

"This is going to be a very long breakfast…." Mifune didn't care where she sat, but she was close enough to where I could see she was a bit disgruntled.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here, Reiko. I uh…." Takeru stood tall, scratching his chin and looking at the spots that were next to Hayami, who gave him a dirty look, and the rather rambunctious Tetsuo, who was muttering to himself like a mad man.

"Do whatever you want, just don't get too close." I crossed my arms, looking away for a moment.

"Thanks…" He sat down, a butler taking his jacket for him. "T-This feels very strange. I mean, I guess that's their job, but I still feel creeped out, if that makes sense?"

"And please don't talk to me either. I'm still tired." I wasted no time shutting him down, rubbing the dark circles over my eyes.

"Gotcha…" He had the biggest embarrassed look on his face as Hyunjung sat to my other side, next to the casting director.

"I just hope this food isn't poisoned…I haven't had a decent meal in a while." Hyunjung stared at the metal covering hiding what's underneath. "Then again, it would probably defeat the point of this killing game to begin with if we all croaked on the spot, you know what I mean?"

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Hyunnie," Kaguya said, "I'm honestly starving. I could almost eat a horse."

"An apt analogy! Though this is very unprecedented, I am not one to scoff at such hospitality." Alexander sat next to Kimiko. "It would be quite rude to refuse such a gourmet meal."

"I'm not complaining. Food is food, it's all the same," Kimiko blankly stated, "If we die eating it, I will not be surprised in the least bit."

With everyone at the table, I took note of our surroundings and saw that all the doors were guarded by the servants. Their standstill positions raised alarm bells in my mind. Everyone continued talking, but I just kept to myself the entire time. A few minutes later, the doors to the dining hall opened up once more.

A maid and butler both held the door handles in place, and the mysterious masked hosts appeared before us in their radiantly infamous glory, hands interlocked. Both acted like they were expecting a warm welcome, a trumpet fanfare followed right after. They shared a brief kiss, their smiles and demeanor the epitome of a stock photo image, but something about it felt so fake. Had they worked for Hollywood, they would have won awards for this public display of affection.

"A pleasant good morning to you, my lord and lady," the servants all spoke in perfect unison once more. This time, it sounded even more culty in tone.

"Aha! Greetings my venerable guests!" Monolord's booming voice would make earthquakes seem tame. "I trust you all have received a good night's rest, with excellent service from our staff! Hopefully, they were able to accommodate your needs on such short notice."

"We also apologize for making you wait when you must be so famished." Monolady's soothing voice was the calm before the storm in contrast. "I do hope you won't hold that against us~"

"Sure…..that's the thing we're most concerned about," Mifune said with a very blunt, if not pseudo-sarcastic tone. "Why are you treating us this nicely? Aren't we supposed to be participants in a killing game? What's even the point in this whole charade?"

"I see you do not waste any precious time on pleasantries, Miss Mifune." Monolord looked a bit miffed by her piercing comment. "No matter. I do admire that sort of directness, even if it is coming from a very disheveled young woman such as yourself." Her blank expression was unchanged, but I swore I almost saw her fidget her fingers for a minute.

"Look, old man, we get the idea," Hyunjung added, earning a cross look from the lord. "Is this some sort of revenge prank or something? I have to say, this entire act you're putting on, it's a bit unoriginal if you ask me. I mean you put us in some freaky mansion and now you're pretending to be nice? I don't think that adds up, man."

"I indubitably agree!" Arsenia's impish smile shifted slightly as she observed the decor. "I've seen this situation a dozen times in works of fiction. Everyone always defaults to this boring scenario, and it becomes rather dull. How cliche can you get?" Her comments implied intrigue with a hint of boredom. "I will say your outfits are spectacularly designed, so points for that."

"Pardon me if my home does not suit your whimsical tastes, my dear." Monolord masked how annoyed he was with those polite words. That much was obvious.

"I must say you are quite the flatterer," Monolady giggled. The faint blush on her cheeks highlighted her rosy complexion. "And we can assure you, Master Hyunjung and Miss Arsenia, this is no comical prank. Though we are the hosts of this killing game, and you are the guilty sinners waiting to be judged, that does not mean we have to treat you all like vile savages."

"I must concur with my beautiful wife. Your stay here should be as comfortable as any other guest who walks through our halls. I would never call myself a gracious host if I were to treat you any differently."

"Pardon me," Serina raised her hand. "Given how we were treated prior to coming here, I cannot help but feel that statement is rather contradictory. I do believe you are aware of our past...transgressions, so to speak."

"Why of course!" Monolord stepped in front of his wife, his cape swishing behind him like a curtain in the stifling breeze. "I would be damned if I did not understand who I was letting into my humble abode. Hence why some…coarse measures were taken into account when bringing you all here."

"But what's your end goal here?" Kimiko was quick to ask the most pertinent thing I had on my mind. "This is unnecessarily elaborate. What are you planning to gain from this?"

"My thoughts exactly," Keishi chimed in while Kota was bobbing from side to side in his chair, "Your motivations don't make any sense to me, and from what I can tell, none of us have even heard of you guys before yesterday."

"To add on to that point," Kaguya was raring to go, "I don't see how hosting a killing game against former masterminds really fits into this equation. I'm not entirely sure what you hope to achieve here. It makes me suspect even more that someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Even though we've only been here for a day, I can see you two lack any clear motives for doing this."

I was beginning to wonder when everyone's observational skills and logical deductions would begin to kick into gear. Where was this energy yesterday? They bring up very good points. I can attest I've never heard of Monolord or Monolady before in my entire life. The Killing Games of the past have been recorded in archives; though they differ widely, based on the mastermind, all of them have similar traits. This particular one stood out like a sore thumb.

The two of them look very much huma, when there's usually a robotic element in the form of a mascot. Everything about this entire ordeal felt incongruous to what I've known. If what the maid from last night said was true, this entire island estate was pretty much sequestered away from most happenings in the outside world. My brain was itching to comprehend the insanity of it all. Even if I already knew the song and dance, it still boggles my mind as to how most of it made any rational sense.

"You lot are very bold to assume someone's capable of reigning over me when I run this entire estate." Monolord's look grew cold, his voice more menacing. "Think what you will, but that does not change anything. You answer only to me. Your frivolous queries will get you nowhere, so you best mind your manners."

"Like hell I will." Hayami almost shook the table as she stood up from her seat but hesitated upon spotting a maid on standby with a tray. "Do you really think I, or anyone else here, will bother listening to you phony shitheads!?"

"Such crudeness! It's quite frightening for someone so young as yourself to speak so flagrantly." Monolady's soft-spoken voice coated her snarky remarks. "No matter, you may be free to wander our home as you please, but you must heed our warnings if you wish to live comfortably. I thought you all already knew this?"

As quarrelsome as Hayami was, she sat back down in her seat, knowing full well that something bad was on the horizon.

"It is time we partake in our morning breakfast, my lady." Monolord looked into her eyes.

"Lead the way, my lord." She nodded in kind, giving him a subtle smile.

The lord and lady left us to simmer in silence, both of them taking seats at each opposite end of the table. He was closest to the glass door exit, and she was closest to the dining room entrance, near my seat. I have no idea what kind of marital discontent was going on, but it felt strange to see them sitting away from each other, given how overtly lovey dovey they seemed to be. I've only just met them, and this couple was already bewildering to me from the get-go.

"Excuse me, but are you going to set any rules for us to abide by while we reside here?" Goro interjected, fixing his tie. "Is this the part where you give us instructions and let us roam about the manor until you implement some devious motive?"

"A very astute observation, Master Goro. An impatient one, but I should not be shocked." Monolord smiled, chuckling like he was proud of him for making an obvious guess. "If you would all please unveil what's underneath your covers. We shall get started."

If this request turned out to be a trap of theirs, it would have been the inanest one imaginable. I grabbed the top and almost put it back down fearing the worst, the others doing something similar with a few exceptions. I decided to rip the band aid off and placed the cover to the side.

Underneath were a few small plates of various breakfast foods. Right next to them was an all too familiar rectangle-shaped electronic device. The blood-red border was accented with golden-leaf flourishes. The whole thing was polished to a mirror's shine.

"For your items this morning, we have a panettone French toast topped with sliced almonds, dressed in a mixed berry compote of raspberries and blackberries, along with a side of freshly made whipped cream to smooth the palate," the masked chef announced, "Should you wish for a savory option, we present baked eggs with spinach, white mushrooms, goat cheese and seasoned chorizo bowl. Around the table, you will observe freshly toasted bread, sliced diagonally with complementary jams, jellies, butter, cream cheese, and honey. Lastly, for your beverages, the staff have picked oranges from the orchard and freshly squeezed each for a tangy orange juice concoction. There's ice water, too, should you not want anything with citrus.

"Ooooh, this looks yummy!" Kota's mouth was agape, drool almost dripping out of his mouth, "Thank you, Mr. Chef!" He was ready to dig in with a fork in one hand.

"This is definitely to my liking," Lucretius smiled, placing one of the nearby folded white napkins on his lap, "When I get out of this dreadful place, I will definitely seek you as my personal chef. I've honestly considered firing the previous one. That fool can't even flambé a steak properly!"

"I'm afraid that arrangement won't be possible." Monolord laughed, grabbing a nearby glass as a maid poured out orange juice for him, "Chef Vinzent works for my staff and wishes to stay in my employ, as he is a dear friend of the family. I do apologize in advance, Master Lucretius."

"You drive a hard bargain, but I will acquiesce for now." The stock broker snorted, taking a bite out of his baked egg platter.

"This looks absolutely scrumptious!" Arsenia sliced some of the french toast, dipped it in whipped cream and fruit compote, then popped the fork in her mouth. "Mmmmm! So sweet, the fresh cream was a nice addition. It really tied in well with the tartness of the fruit. Don't get me started on the nuts. It gives it an earthy umami texture."

"You did an amazing job today, Vinzent." Monolady clapped to the chef. Though he wore a mask, his body language told us he was very proud of his efforts.

"I would be remiss if I did not indulge in something completely foreign to me," Alexander scooped up some of the baked egg sausage platter into his mouth. "This is quite delicious, but my palate is too mediocre to really appreciate the finer qualities of this dish."

"Hmph….this shit is actually pretty good." Hayami poked at the egg dish, taking decent chunks while still in her grumpy mood.

The others didn't seem all too impressed, such as Serina who took dainty bites. Goro and Keishi ate the food but kept inspecting it for something suspicious. Kei nibbled on pieces of the egg platter like a mouse. Shizuka was hesitant to grab her fork at first, but Balfour looked on and decided to take the initiative to reassure her. He dipped a raspberry into the cream and ate it. Though she was weary, she was hooked the moment she chewed on a piece of toast, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Tetsuo stared at the food as if it would jump into his mouth and do the feeding for him. Takeru tried to encourage him to eat, but he only received vicious looks in return and resumed his own meal. Hyunjung, Kaguya, Kimiko and Mifune didn't question it as much. They acted like they were staying at a five-star hotel and enjoyed the food.

I was probably thinking it was too good to be true. I will admit, I caved in to the sweet scent and ate a bit of both. Needless to say, it was nice to have a hot meal. I couldn't help but double dip into the baked egg platter.

After eating for a short while, the atmosphere in the room picked up a bit. Everyone almost forgot they were trapped here. Something about it unnerved me. I decided to engage with our captors, after almost polishing off my plate. "Since no one wants to break the ice, I'll start us off. Is this device supposed to be a Monopad of sorts?" I took the tablet, analyzing it from top to bottom, side to side.

"Oh dear, I would have thought you, of all people, would already comprehend the situation, Miss Reiko." Monolady covered her mouth, sounding more condescending than anything. "Why would this be no different? It would be rude to assume we would not provide everyone their own device to pursue at their leisure. I find the technology quite fascinating!"

"Do you mean to say this tacky and bulky device is something we have to carry around with us?" Lucretius turned his nose up at it, eyeing it as if it were a piece of trash on the side of the road.

"If you wish to enter your rooms without having to require assistance from the staff, then yes," Monolord said, "I do admit that I still do not understand the technology myself, but in a modern world that will soon devour our antiquated way of living, we must adapt with the times."

"I don't trust it…." Tetsuo refused to even touch it, his eyes trailing away, "I would much prefer something else instead….you cannot force me to look at it."

"Dude, chill!" Hyunjung looked at the TV producer with a worried stare. "It's just a tablet, it's not gonna spy on us or anything….right? Right?" He was looking at the hosts for confirmation.

"I see no point in doing anything of the sort," said Monolord, "We already have cameras situated around the manor and the estate. Do not worry about that device spying on you, when we have much more efficient methods."

"Hmmm…I wonder what I can do with this…" Kei already got to work inspecting the tablet.

"You all must already know this, but inside you will find everything you need to know," Monolady continued, "Not only have we provided rules, but also a very detailed map of the manor and the surrounding grounds. Of course there are exceptions, but fret not about that for the time being."

Wasting no time, I immediately pressed the button on the bottom and the screen lit up in front of me. The default popup was a golden G emblem with a shield and sword crest with roses strewn about, probably a family coat of arms. It transitioned smoothly into the main home interface. A few tabs were marked unknown, but two stuck out to me: 'Rules' and 'Profile'.

I clicked on the latter option first, and inside it was what I expected to see.

Personal Profile

Name: Reiko Usotsuki

Former Talent: Criminal Profiler

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Height/Weight: 5ft. 6inc. / 115lbs.

Likes: Mystery Novels, Caramel Iced Coffee, Colored Index Cards, Rainstorms & Lo-Fi Music

Dislikes: Arrogant People, Ink Stains, Cliffhanger Endings, Cockroaches & Cinnamon

Next was the Rules tab. Once I clicked on it, I got the rundown of what would be followed while living in this gaudy manor.

The Lord's Commands & Wishes

Rule 1: Every guest who resides at the estate is allowed to roam around to their heart's content. However, any areas that are barred from access should be heeded and obeyed. Vandals and troublemakers will be dealt with swiftly, should any try to force their way in.

Rule 2: The evening and night period begins at 9PM and ends at 7AM. Any guest caught sleeping in any room that is not their assigned chambers will be reprimanded accordingly. Laundry will be retrieved from your chambers at 8AM sharp and guests are expected to be at breakfast at the same time.

Rule 3: Monolord, Monolady, and the estate staff are not allowed to punish or harm the guests, unless a rule is broken. To make this rule fair, the guests may not harm these parties, either. Treat others the way you wish to be treated.

Rule 4: In the event that a guest murders another guest, they will be referred to as the blackened and the others as the spotless. Every able-bodied guest is to attend a Court Trial. The blackened would do good to outsmart the spotless to survive. Likewise, the spotless should do their best to ascertain the blackened.

Rule 5: A body discovery announcement is only announced when three or more guests discover a body for the first time. This does not include the culprit. Soon after, an investigation period will commence. The spotless must gather clues during this period, before an upcoming court trial.

Rule 6: Should a blackened guest manage to outwit the spotless in a court trial, they will have won and be granted leave of the estate. The spotless will face punishment in accordance.

Rule 7: Should the spotless guests correctly identify the blackened guest, then only the blackened will be punished. The spotless will continue living at the estate until another murder occurs.

Rule 8: Guests are permitted to kill a total of two guests. Anything more than that will result in an immediate mistrial and swift punishment. We wouldn't want everyone dying all at once.

Rule 9: Further rules will be added over the course of the coming days. No rules shall be revoked for any reason.

It was pretty much standard fare for a killing game to have such generalized rules. Nothing immediately stood out to me aside from the last rule, which was more or less a way to add on extra regulations in the event something arises. I must admit, whoever kidnapped us had dotted their i's and crossed their t's because it seemed like this was all purposeful. If they were confident enough to give us a map of the place, then they must already know that finding an exit is already a fruitless endeavor. That's one less wrench in the works.

"As you can plainly peruse," Monolord spoke in a very demanding tone, "These rules are to be followed to the letter. Of course, you are free to continue living a communal life should you refrain from murder, but that would defeat the reason for this entire game."

"W-What do you m-mean?" Shizuka shrank in her seat, having not finished most of her food. "T-There's more to it?"

"Hahaha! My dear child, you are so naive." Monolord's hearty laugh sent me into a mini panic. "To really get things underway, I have the pleasure of introducing the first motive to you all."

He snapped his fingers and one of the masked butlers hurried to his side. Though I didn't know where this was going, the moment I spotted something different about the butler, I knew things were going downhill super quickly. He had what appeared to be some kind of metallic gold collar decorated with red flourishes around his neck. A red digital timer was positioned in front of it. My body grew cold. My instincts told me to get out of the dining room, but the exits were blocked off. Escape was impossible.

"As you can all observe, this state of the art device is called a bomb collar." The malice in his words was enough to make the hairs on my skin prickly. "You all will wear it around your necks for a period of three days." His gloved finger pointed to the device around the servant, who just stood there with no reservations. "In that allotted time, should it come to pass…well you just wait a few seconds."

No one said a word as the timer counted down from ten seconds. The butler continued to remain calm and dignified despite the obvious danger. It was as if he resigned himself to his fate.

"It has been an honor to serve you, my lord and lady…." His final words, a chilling response that would etch itself into my mind for life. "I bid you all goodbye…"

As the countdown went to zero, that was it. The butler's head exploded. The remains went flying about the room. It was probably the most gruesome death I've seen up close. I had no way to clearly process what had just occurred as everything from the ceiling to the floor was splattered with his blood. His body went limp and fell to the floor. A pool of blood dripped from the empty socket that was his neck cavity. Everyone, including myself, got a face full of organ matter.

"What the fuck!" Tetsuo shouted.

"AAAAAAAAAAAA!" Shizuka screamed at the top of her lungs, almost passing out.

"Oh shit!" Hyunjung nearly fell out of his chair, "He just….I….He was just there….oh god."

"You fools ruined my suit again!" Lucretius was not phased by the explosion, but with guts strewn across his face, it was oddly funny and satisfying. "I cannot take this sitting down."

"That was…..something." Kimiko had the most deadpan response out of everyone here, wiping some blood from her face.

"Did that really just happen…." Kaguya seemed to drift off, her eyes averted from the horrid sight.

"Well then! What a way to kick things off!" Arsenia, for the first time, had a very surprised expression written all over her face. "A bit flashier than I expected….I really liked this suit, too..."

"T-This is messed u-up!" Balfour was starting to tear up. "I'm not r-ready to die! Get me o-outta here!"

"Oh my, what's the rush, Master Balfour?" Monolady, though she was covered in blood, carried on as if nothing had happened. "This is all part of the game. What are you so anxious about? Does seeing an innocent life taken incite a wild reaction out of you?"

"Is this your way of threatening us?" Despite what just happened, Goro did his best to stay firm as the blood dripped off the side of his cheek. "A time limit?"

"It's a very classic motive if you ask anyone." Monolord took the brunt of the explosion but a few servants immediately began wiping his face and carrying the body away. "If you wish to curtail this inevitable fate, one of you must satisfy the criteria of murdering someone before the time limit ends."

"A life taken…a once beautiful person, now turned into a shell for your amusement." Alexander waxed poetically. "A rather imperfect demise…"

"That's a morbid way of saying it…" Keishi stared around the room. "In the end, they were just another tool to you." Though there was contempt in his words, he did not show any empathy for the deceased butler.

"I wouldn't be so cruel as to say that." Monolady also received the cleaning treatment from a few maids. "They followed orders and were steadfast in doing so till the very end. Do not worry, their family will be compensated handsomely in their place."

"So a life lost is insignificant to you…" Takeru's voice grew cold and stoic, very different to the kind of person he portrayed before. "I see….." If anything, he stared like he was remembering some terrible memory.

"Looks like it's off with his head!" Kota said in his manic state, smiling in a mischievous way. "You serve bad people, you get what you deserve! Loser!"

"That is a very….bizarre way to phrase it…" Serina managed to remain composed, but she did not shed a tear for the servant. In fact, she looked more disgusted. "Are you hoping we will go along with your demands? What if we refuse to wear them?"

"You say that as if you have a choice in the matter," Monolord's demonic grin grew from ear to ear as if the non-ultimate told a morbid joke. "I hope you all enjoyed breakfast. There's more to see in the coming days, my honored guests!"

"You fuckers think this shit is hilarious!" Hayami was about ready to throw her chair at one of them, but something about her seemed off. "You think….you can…" Her movements grew drowsy and sluggish.

"Had a feeling… this would happen…" Kei dropped her tablet to the floor, her arms turning limp. With her last ounce of strength, she slumped over her laptop, closing it shut.

"We've been drugged!" Mifune shouted aloud, but she was too late, "Fuck….."

One by one, most of us fainted while others tried to struggle against the sleeping agent. Both the lord and lady laughed in tandem. Their haughty laughs turned into something a lot more sinister as my body started to slump in my seat. Their cackling grew fainter. The noise died down. I should have trusted my instincts. I failed to ascertain the threat. All that was left was darkness overtaking me.

I dreamt of nothing, waking a few hours later. I guess I was carried off to my room, for I was covered in the same blankets I had this morning. I touched my face; no blood or guts was on me. The servants probably cleaned us off while we were unconscious, which only made my skin crawl. Not only was I washed off, not only were my clothes replaced, but there was something around my neck. I jumped out of my bed and rushed towards the nearest wall mirror.

"Fucking fuck fuck fuck!" I fiddled with the collar, scrambling to take it off. I couldn't find a latch. "Argh! Just my fucking luck! I'm going to murder that fucking couple!"

As if on cue, a pinging noise emitted from nearby. I swerved around in a fake fighting stance and saw my tablet glowing. A message notification appeared near the top right. I was already in a frantic state of mind, but I took a few deep breaths to no avail and clicked on the message with shaky hands. It read as if it were a warning, a threat almost.

"Dear Honored Guests.

As of today, you will have three days until the bomb collars around your neck explode, bringing your lives to a swift end. If you wish to have them removed, a murder must happen. A life taken to save the majority. You are not allowed to remove them. Any attempts at doing so will result in a heavy punishment. Have a pleasant rest of your day!"

The message ended there. A digital timer showed the countdown to detonation. In my fury, I tossed the tablet across the room. It slammed into the wall and somehow landed on my bed with not much external damage to it. I wanted to smash something. The rules against vandalism only made me even angrier.

I wanted to scream, but I felt nothing but momentary hate before it quelled into something despairing and hopeless. The sad part about all of this was….I didn't want to believe it.

I was going to die…..sooner or later.

A/N: Hey guys, did you miss me? If not, that's fine. Apologies for not updating for such a good while. I had a lot of stuff in my personal life that took up sometime and I didn't have the motivation to do much writing. I managed to pump out this chapter before July ends and I'm honestly proud of that accomplishment so yeah.

I had originally planned to release it on my birthday a week ago, but I was so distracted with my new presents and spending time with my family that I postponed the chapter and I hope that's alright. I officially have a fully formed brain and have reached the ripe age of 25. I've also been busy getting my university plans in order. I am making good progress and am very nervous about the prospects, but I'm hoping to come out on the other end. Job hunting sucks all the same. If I'm away from writing for a bit, it's because I'm going to focus on that for the time being.

Aside from that, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I had a bit of trouble organizing this one in particular and asked a friend for help in planning out the overall case. It honestly feels refreshing to have it all done beforehand, it makes writing the upcoming chapters a lot easier. I do have a fun chapter ahead of you guys and I know I got a headstart on the first motive, but I hope it was enough to surprise you all. I for one found it to be a rather explosive one lol.

The next few chapters will focus on exploration and free time events with the cast, so I will be putting up a poll on FF, so keep an eye out for that when you have the time. I also want to shout out another friend with an SYOC who's accepting at the moment.

The Summer The Wind Cried by CandiedStars. Her premise is a really good one and focuses on the aftermath and true crime commercialization of the killing games. I'm sure you guys will love it.

Other than me shilling for my friend's story, I really do wish you guys all the best. I don't have much else to say, so you know the usual stuff. Have a wonderful day, night, holiday or whatever it is you are celebrating and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. With August soon approaching, it's going to be hectic for me, but please be patient with the updates as things might get a lot busier for me depending.

Happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alike. I will see you all in the next update or whenever I decide to post next. Bye bye!