Alice in Borderland

Chapter 83

I enter the venue and initially focus my attention exclusively on the table in the center, looking at the wrappers for a moment and picking out a white one with a black stripe. Cheesy, but I associate it with Chishiya and just hope it brings good luck. Before I didn't have such thoughts, but then I didn't have Chishiya either. So anyway, he wasn't that important to me then. I stand across from the others and run facial recognition, eyeing the others afterward. Judging by their looks, they seem confused, is this their first game? The woman with the three men has a determined expression and only looks at me briefly. The man with the dyed blond hair has a stern expression, even if the facade seems to be crumbling a little. The black-haired thin boy looks at me with an open mouth and seems almost like a startled animal. The last, smaller of the three is trembling with the hand in which he holds his cell phone. All three are standing so close to each other, they must just know each other.

I hear the light clacking of shoes and turn to the newly arriving player. A girl in uniform, she should still be in school. She looks at me with her doe eyes, which is why I avoid her gaze. If this is supposed to be a game of hearts, I can't feel sorry for her.

"Ah, I'm relieved. I was beginning to think I wouldn't see anyone here..." she says, stepping over the laser barrier. The guys yell out briefly, as if to save the girl from this and stop her. They really are new here in Borderland.

"My condolences," says the woman who has been here since the beginning and I can only nod in agreement. But before I can say anything, the cell phones in our hands light up and the mechanical female voice appears.

Registration is complete. The game now begins

"Game?" the schoolgirl asks. This group seems to consist almost entirely of beginners. When you play your first game, you don't think logically, but emotionally. I was not better at the beginning and sometimes there is no time like in the library to collect themselves. In this state they are too impulsive and just run for survival. My disadvantage. But what do the long term players do? Help the others? Don't make me laugh.

The game: live or die. Difficulty level :Cross 3

"Cross 3?" asks the frightened man, looking uncertainly once around the table.

"Team game," I reply curtly.

"What do you mean?" asks the man next to him, looking at me with attentive eyes.

Game: Pick the right door in the allotted time.

"What?" the man asks again, this time letting his eyes roam.

Goal of the game: get out of the building in the time allotted for it.

Doesn't sound like armed people chasing you. The difficulty level and the category of the game let me find hope. Something rings off to the side to my right and I survey with critical eyes as the metal doors open.

"You'll die if you don't join us," the older woman says as she confidently climbs in. Without hesitation, I follow her lead and wait for the others.

"Time is running out," the blond man says, and the others get on as well. The doors close and the elevator begins to stir.

"Karube," the blond man introduces himself and I look at the others waiting. The boy with the attentive eyes introduces himself as Arisu and the shy one as Chota. The women don't answer, with the schoolgirl looking at her feet in embarrassment, the other only looking sternly straight ahead. So this woman with the white blouse has been in a game before. Restless, I chew on my inner cheek until a calm voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

I look to Arisu and just put on a played confident look.

"Yeah, just the second to last elevator I was in crashed more than fifteen floors down," I laugh lightly and everyone but that one woman looks at me with wide eyes. The elevator stops after a short while, we shouldn't have gone far. We all walk into the room and I look at two different doors with shiny plastic posters.