1
Enji Matsushita stepped out of his small apartment, rolling his shoulders after a long day of hypnotic therapy sessions. The night air was crisp, and the neon glow of the city reflected in his black eyes. His bangs obscured one of them, a shadowy curtain as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat.
A soft giggle rang out from the corner of the street.
“Enji!”
Urumi Aramaki skipped toward him, her blue Lolita dress twirling slightly as she moved. Her brown hair, tied into two space buns, bounced with each step. Her eyes sparkled with something unhinged—excitement, mischief, maybe something darker.
"Hey, psycho girl," he greeted with a lazy smirk.
“Don’t call me that,” she pouted, then quickly grinned. “So, what’s the plan? Are we gonna hypnotize people into giving us free food?”
Before he could answer, a loud crash rang through the intersection ahead. Both turned their heads just in time to see a collision—two cars crumpling together, metal shrieking. Glass shattered onto the pavement, reflecting the bright burst of fireworks in the sky.
More crashes followed. More explosions. And then—
Silence.
The streets, once filled with pedestrians, became eerily empty. No honking horns. No screams. Just the flickering of traffic lights before they, too, went dark.
“…Okay,” Urumi said, her grin widening unnaturally. “This just got fun.”
Enji grabbed her wrist, yanking her toward the train station nearby. The sliding doors opened automatically, and they stepped inside just as the city lights fully cut out.
Then—total darkness.
A buzzing noise filled the air, like an old television losing signal. And when the lights flickered back on, Enji felt his stomach drop.
The station was empty. No conductors. No passengers. No sound.
“Alright,” Urumi said, turning in a slow circle. “This is really fun.”
Enji pulled out his phone. Dead. No signal. Not even the screen turning on.
“We should—”
A low hum interrupted him. Outside, past the empty train platform, a billboard lit up on a skyscraper. The text scrolled in bright red letters:
"Welcome, players. The game begins here."
A single arrow pointed toward a building in the distance.
Urumi clapped her hands together. “Finally! A mystery game! I always wanted to be in one of these.”
Enji exhaled. “Somehow, I knew you’d enjoy this.”
They followed the billboard’s direction, weaving through the empty streets toward a looming casino building. Inside, two other people waited: a woman with sharp eyes and a high school girl clutching her uniform’s sleeves.
On a table, four phones rested.
Enji picked one up. The screen flickered to life. A voice, monotone and void of emotion, spoke:
"Game: ROULETTE. Card: Two of Clubs."
A roulette wheel materialized in the center of the casino floor. The voice continued:
"Rules: Standard roulette applies. Played in pairs. Losers will be eliminated."
“Eliminated?” the high school girl echoed, trembling.
Enji had a bad feeling about this.
The game began. The wheel spun. Bets were placed. The high school girl and the woman lost the first round.
And then—lasers.
They didn’t even have time to scream before beams of light pierced through their skulls. Their bodies collapsed. Motionless.
Enji clenched his fists, staring at the lifeless forms.
Urumi, on the other hand, tilted her head, staring at the corpses like a child examining broken toys.
“…So that’s what elimination means,” she mused.
The voice returned:
"Winners: Enji Matsushita, Urumi Aramaki. Reward: Two-day visa extension."
A small ticket printed out from the phones.
Suddenly, a shuffling sound came from behind them.
An old man stepped forward, his face weathered and defeated. He held up his phone, which displayed 0 Days Left.
“…I lost my last game,” he muttered. His voice was hollow.
A second later, a laser shot from the sky.
His body hit the floor, lifeless.
Enji barely had time to react before Urumi burst into laughter.
“This is amazing! We have to keep playing!”
Enji stared at her, something cold twisting in his stomach. She was thrilled.
This city—this twisted, abandoned city—was their new reality. If their visas expired, they’d die. The only way to survive?
Keep playing.
And Urumi?
She was just getting started.