Chapter 8: Hearts' First Sting
The hotel ballroom was a garish ruin, its splintered dance floor bathed in a sickly purple glow from the neon 5♥ sign overhead.
The air was thick with the sterile, dusty scent of Meteor Echoes, a grim prelude to the game's stakes.
Kirito's boots scuffed against the warped wood, each step heavy with the weight of their dwindling Visa time, the clock's red pulse a cold throb against his wrist.
Hatter watched from a makeshift balcony, his ornate pendant catching the neon light, flanked by two guards whose rifles gleamed with menace.
The game was brutal in its simplicity: identify the 'Witch' among ten players before the timer ran out, or everyone died.
"A social minefield. One wrong vote, and we're all ash," Kirito thought, his heart pounding as he scanned the other players, their faces a mix of fear and calculation.
[SYSTEM: ACTIVATE SKILL: LIE DETECTOR (COST: 50 SP). TARGET: CURRENT GAME PLAYERS. SCANNING FOR DECEIT/HOSTILE INTENT.]
"Social deductive logic. Find the snake in the grass," he thought, his eyes narrowing.
[SYSTEM: LIE DETECTOR ALERT: ONE HIGH-CONFIDENCE DECEPTION SIGNATURE DETECTED. SUBJECT NEAR PERIPHERY, RIGHT FLANK. TOTAL SP: 30.]
A man on the right edge of the group caught his attention, his sly grin barely masking the sweat beading on his grimy face, his eyes fixed on Usagi's neck with a predator's focus.
Kirito's pulse spiked, his flirty reflex kicking in as a desperate distraction.
"Hey, Traitor Guy! You look like you need a drink—or maybe just a compliment!"
He threw an exaggerated salute, his voice loud and playful.
"We've got a gorgeous genius on the team, so maybe rethink sneaking up on her!"
[SYSTEM: DEBUFF TRIGGER: FORCED FLIRT. DIALOGUE QUALITY: SUBPAR. HOSTILE SUBJECT'S ATTENTION DIVERTED BY 15% BUT AT HIGH SOCIAL COST. HA HA, SMOOTH.]
The man faltered, his grin twisting into confusion, his gaze shifting from Usagi to Kirito, buying them a precious moment.
Arisu's eyes locked onto the man's hands—clenched tight, even when idle—and his darting glances, betraying his intent.
"He's bluffing!" Arisu shouted, his voice sharp with conviction, commanding the room.
"He's forcing a vote on the wrong person to save himself! Look at his stance—he's not defending, he's ready to run when the vote's called!"
The Traitor's cover shattered, his sly grin morphing into panic as he lunged, his knife flashing toward Usagi.
Kirito moved on instinct, no SP left for a cheat, just raw adrenaline as he shoved the man hard against a pillar, the knife missing Usagi by inches, skittering across the floor.
The other players, seeing the Traitor exposed, voted unanimously, their voices a chaotic chorus as the timer hit zero.
The neon sign dimmed, the game won.
[SYSTEM: GAME CLEAR: 5♥. REWARDS: 5 DAYS VISA EXTENSION FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. SYSTEM POINTS GAINED: 50 SP.]
[SYSTEM: TOTAL SP: 80.]
Relief washed over them, heavy and warm, as Arisu rushed to Usagi, his hand gripping her arm, his eyes wide with fear and something deeper.
She didn't pull away, her scar catching the fading neon, her breath steadying.
They slipped out, climbing to the hotel's rooftop, the cool night air a stark contrast to the ballroom's stifling heat.
The stars were dim, barely piercing the city's haze, but the quiet was a balm, the neon's hum fading below.
Usagi sat by the roof's edge, her scar faintly visible, her posture softer now.
Arisu sat near her, his sketchbook open, his pencil scratching furiously, as if mapping their survival could anchor him.
Kirito leaned against a low wall, watching the tension between them, his grin soft but knowing.
"Hey, Sketch-pad. Say what you need to say. Before the next card does it for you."
Usagi shifted, her voice sharp but unsteady.
"Don't. We don't have time for… that. It's a weakness here."
Arisu snapped his sketchbook shut, his voice raw, breaking through his usual restraint.
"It's not a weakness! This place wants us to forget why we fight! I lost everything, Usagi—Chota, Karube, my whole world. But you… you're real. You're my logic, my anchor. If I lose you, I stop. I just stop."
Usagi's stoic mask cracked, her hand finding his, her grip strong but trembling.
"I thought I was meant to survive alone. But when that knife came… all I saw was your face. I don't know what this is, but you're right. We need it."
[SYSTEM: ACTIVATE SKILL: MORAL REMINDER (COST: 0 SP). REMINDER: EMOTIONAL BONDING INCREASES SURVIVAL METRICS BY 15%.]
The starlight warmed their skin, the bond between them a quiet flame in the darkness, fragile but fierce.
Kuina caught Kirito's eye, her grin flashing as she gave a thumbs-up, her cigarette's ember glowing.
The team descended to the main Beach area, dawn breaking in a pale wash of light, Hatter's voice already booming from the stage, his pendant pulsing with renewed energy.
"Right. Now we find where he keeps the cards," Kirito muttered, his resolve hardening.
[SYSTEM: QUERY: INITIATE 'CULT HIERARCHY' PUZZLE? (COST: 0 SP).]
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE INITIATED: MAPS COMMAND STRUCTURE AND KEY ASSETS. PROCESSING…]
Kuina's voice was low, her cigarette smoke curling.
"He's obsessed with the cards. It's his power. They won't be in plain sight."
Arisu nodded, his eyes dark.
"If we fail, they'll throw us to the next game. Or worse, betray us."
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE COMPLETED. MAP RENDERED: CARD VAULT LOCATION CONFIRMED (CENTRAL HOTEL, SUB-LEVEL 3). SYSTEM NOTE: 5♥ GAME WIN SP CONFIRMED: 50 SP.]
[SYSTEM: TOTAL SP: 130.]
"Sub-level 3. A vault. Nice and cliché," Kirito said, his grin wry.
"We're in too deep to run. We outsmart this party, get the cards, collapse this house of cards."
The ocean waves soothed their ears, a faint counterpoint to the Beach's chaos, as they moved toward the hotel, their mission clear but the cult's shadow looming larger.
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