Chapter 30 – Flame vs. Ice
The silence pressed down on the room like a suffocating weight, broken only by Aoi's trembling sobs. Her eyes were swollen red, her whole body shaking as Ren's last words played again and again in her mind.
"You know why you're scared? Because you're close to death…"
The memory stabbed at her chest, twisting like a knife. She clutched her heart and whispered his name, fragile as glass.
"Ren…"
Her mind drifted into a world untouched by horror—a vision, fragile and bright. She sat on a quiet schoolyard bench, the sky warm and endless above her. Ren was beside her, smiling with his usual carefree grin.
"I lo— I lo…" he stumbled, face flushing.
"What are you saying, idiot?" Aoi teased, raising a brow.
Before he could answer, a single flower drifted down from the sky. Ren caught it in his hand and twirled it between his fingers, his grin softening.
"I always catch you before you fall," he said gently, his voice carrying a rare weight. "I'll always protect you."
The dream shattered like glass. Tears spilled harder down Aoi's cheeks. Her voice cracked as she whispered into the void:
"Ren… why did you keep that promise even here?"
The harsh voice of the Accountant cut across her grief.
"Second match. Begin."
The guards stepped forward.
Shun and Daichi sat face to face, tension coiling tight in the air.
"Rock, paper, scissors," one guard barked.
Both raised their fists, hands trembling.
"Rock… paper… scissors!"
The reveal.
Shun showed paper.
Daichi showed scissors.
"The winner is Daichi."
A revolver was placed on the table. Daichi's hands shook as he grabbed it, lips moving in silent prayers. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Click!
Click!
Empty.
Gasps rippled through the players.
Shun's face was unreadable, calm as winter. He reached forward and pried the gun from Daichi's hands.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Daichi's voice cracked, panic spilling out of him. "I need to live! I shot twice—he should be dead!"
Shun's gaze cut through him like a blade. His voice was cold. "No chamber, no chances. That's the game. And you… you just revealed your true face."
Daichi's breath came fast, desperate. "I— I only did it to survive! Don't you understand?!"
But Shun didn't listen. His finger curled around the trigger. He raised the gun and fired once at Daichi's chest.
Click!
Empty.
The room froze. Shun tilted his head slightly, almost curious, a faint smile ghosting his lips. Then, deliberately, he lowered the barrel to Daichi's leg.
BANG!
The crack split the air.
Daichi's scream pierced the silence. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding leg. His voice was shrill, broken, dripping with disbelief.
"MY BLOOD! YOU SHOT ME—MY BLOOD!"
The guards reacted instantly, rifles raised.
"You broke the rules," one barked.
Shun didn't flinch. His voice was calm, razor-sharp. "You said we could shoot ourselves—or our partner. But you never said where. Head, chest, leg… the rules weren't clear. I played the game you gave us."
The guards hesitated, uncertain.
Above them, hidden away in a chamber glowing with monitors, a man in a white suit watched. His face was hidden by a porcelain mask painted with a smile. Fingers steepled, he leaned back, amused.
"Shun…" his voice was almost a purr. "You're different. Calculated. Cold. Already beyond what I'd call human."
His hollow laughter echoed across the chamber.
Back in the room, Daichi writhed on the floor, his blood spreading like a dark stain. The other players stared—not at him, but at Shun. At his expressionless face, colder than death.
The Accountant's lips curled into a smile.
"Match two… complete."
Chapter 31.... Coming soon