still filled with the sharp scent of acrylic paint that hadn't fully dried.A large screen displayed the final results of the art match one by one, while the participants stood in suffocating silence.
Some let out relieved breaths.Others… felt that something was wrong.
In the corner of the room, a female NPC stared at an empty canvas, her brow furrowed.Not because of the result—but because of the process.
"Um…" she whispered softly to her friend."Did you realize that from the beginning, she had complete paints?"
Her friend glanced quickly toward Inaya.
Inaya stood calmly. Too calmly.Even though earlier she had been walking back and forth around other participants' tables.
"Nanishiteruno…?" the NPC murmured unconsciously.
The sentence was quiet, but loud enough to make someone else turn their head.
Raditya noticed it too.
He remembered something—hand movements, the position of paint tubes, and the panicked expression of a participant who had run out of colors.
Meanwhile, the NPC judges began to move again.One by one, they called the participants' names and displayed the official scores.
High scores.Average scores.Low scores.
When the name of the participant with the empty canvas was called, the atmosphere grew heavy.
They stood up slowly, their knees trembling.
"This participant," the judge said flatly,"has failed to meet the minimum standard."
The screen flashed red.
ELIMINATED.
Muffled gasps were heard.Not only because of the elimination—but because it happened too suddenly.
The participant looked around, as if wanting to say something.Their eyes stopped directly on Inaya.
But before a single word could come out—light pulled their body backward.
Gone.
Silence.
Inaya lowered her head, hiding a thin smile.
But she didn't realize…Someone had seen everything.And that someone had no intention of staying silent.
On the large screen, a new sentence appeared:
ATTENTION:Participant behavior monitoring will be tightened.
Episode 4 ended not with screams—but with suspicion.
Episode 4to be continued