6
Arisu, Usagi, and Chota woke up before a man lounging on an opulent couch, sipping a cocktail. He wore a floral shirt, a wide-brimmed hat, and an almost theatrical grin.
"Welcome to the Beach," he said. "I’m Hatter, the leader of this fine establishment."
Arisu sat up, his body aching. "What… is this place?"
Hatter leaned forward. "It’s salvation. If one person collects all 52 playing cards from the games, they can return to the real world. That’s why I founded the Beach—to gather the cards as a team. We survive together, win together, and leave together."
He gestured around. "Everyone here plays their part. Fighters compete in games. Workers keep things running. And Enforcers…" His grin sharpened. "They make sure no one steps out of line."
Arisu’s heart sank. This wasn’t just a community. It was a hierarchy. A system. A cult.
"You’ll be part of this now," Hatter continued. "Oh, and that card you won?"
He held out his hand.
Usagi tensed. She still had the Seven of Hearts.
Reluctantly, she handed it over.
"Good choice," Hatter said. "Now, enjoy yourself. The Beach is a paradise!"
Paradise? That evening, the Beach transformed. By day, it was a lively resort—music, swimming, cocktails. By night, it was pure chaos—wild parties, drinking, people desperate to forget their mortality.
And in the chaos, Arisu found Karube.
They embraced, relief washing over them. They had survived.
But survival wasn’t enough. Not yet.
When night fell, the Beach sent five teams into the city to play.
Karube’s team was sent to a carnival. Their game, the Six of Spades: “Beast Hunter,” pitted them against wild animals. Tigers prowled between the attractions, their golden eyes gleaming in the dark. The contestants had to trap and defeat them to win.
Chota and Usagi were assigned to the Ten of Clubs: “Bingo in the Match Factory.” In the pitch-black factory, they had to use a limited number of matches to illuminate numbers hidden in the darkness. If they used their matches too soon, they would run out of light before completing their bingo card.
And Arisu?
He was placed in the Four of Diamonds: “Light Bulb.”
A simple, deadly puzzle.
The room slowly flooded with water. Above them, hanging electrical wires. In the adjacent room, three switches. Only one switch would turn on a light bulb to win the game. The catch? The door to the switch room had to be closed to flip the switches freely. Open the door, and they could only flip one.
Arisu thought fast.
He flipped Switch A with the door closed.
He flipped Switch B with the door open, confirming that B was not correct.
He asked a contestant to touch the light bulb.
It was warm.
That meant the bulb had been on before and cooled down. Switch A was the answer.
Arisu shouted, "Press A!"
The light turned on.
The game was cleared just as the water reached their waists.
When the survivors returned to the Beach, Arisu reunited with Usagi.
They had both won.
But things weren’t over yet.
Tension flared when Arisu clashed with Aguni, Hatter’s lead militant—the same man from the Tag game. Aguni radiated raw power, a man used to war. He pinned Arisu with a glare, ready for a fight.
But Hatter intervened.
"Enough," he said, calling his executives together.
In his office, he revealed their progress.
They had collected five new cards.
Now, only a few remained:
The Ten of Hearts.
And the Face Cards.
The final games were approaching.
And Arisu had a terrible feeling—the worst was yet to come.