"Meruki, was it?" Yakou asked.
"Yes! Please, don't capture me! I'll do anything, I swear!" Meruki pleaded, trying to mask his desperation with a forced smile.
"Meruki, answer my question, and then I'll make my choice."
"Sure! Well… what is it?"
"Are you, Red, Orange, and Purple in cahoots?"
"W-What? Of course not! Why would you think that…?" Meruki stammered, his smile faltering as sweat slowly trickled down his face. His expression grew tense nervous, as if he just wanted this moment to pass.
Yakou shook his head in disappointment. "I would've let you live… but it's a shame. You are a big liar, aren't you?"
The table fell silent. The realization hit everyone like a bullet. Their gazes darted between the four suspects, their expressions shifting as if they were staring at criminals.
"And what proof do you have?" Nika snapped, her voice laced with anger.
"It's all circumstantial, but it's practical evidence. First, the way the board was set up and the placement of all the dots seemed suspicious. You created a line cutting through the middle to isolate two sides, giving yourself an advantage that was the first clue.
Second, the way you and Meruki kept exchanging glances, even if they were just small peeks, was far too frequent to ignore. Now, moving on to Red based on your movements, it was clear you were being controlled. They made no sense for a normal player.
And as for Orange, I only realized it when you moved to C4. A real player would have seen that going to A4 was the best move, since it would have kept the opposition in check while allowing Purple and Brown to assist you. Yet, instead, you moved forward, trapping me and giving Nika an escape."
"What are you, a detective or something?" the orange player snapped angrily. "How are we supposed to believe all that?"
"Well, it's not up to me to decide. This is my first game, but I'm sure the other players have realized the truth by now…" Yakou replied coldly. Then, his eyes locked onto Meruki. "Now, Meruki… you… are… eliminated."
Capturing Meruki, he not only gained another turn but also received two more dots—one on H2, and the other yet to be decided.
"How about G3?" Yakou said, glancing at Nika. "Now you're trapped. All of you. Scummy cheaters who can't even respect the battlefield."
Nika struggled to keep her composure. "Hey, everyone, let's work together to defeat Yakou. I swear I'll return all the coins you lost. What was it 50,000? Right, that shouldn't be a problem…"
"Like hell we can trust you," Liri scoffed. "You'd just betray us and take the win for yourself. Now it's our turn for payback."
Slowly, everyone turned against Nika, until even the red dot player, Agunai, snapped.
"I'm not with her, goddammit! I'll prove it by going against her!"
The orange player quickly followed. "Me too! She's not controlling me! I act on my own, you damn fools I'll destroy her to prove my innocence!"
It had gotten that bad. Nika had no one left to support her. Even Meruki, her last ally, stood motionless, staring at the table. He couldn't move or speak, as if he were nothing more than a wall.
Yakou's voice cut through the tension. "I'll move my F2 dot to E3. And now... it's your turn, Nika. What will you do?"
I can't let him take it away from me! My freedom… my everything… No. NO. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!
Nika's mind spiraled into chaos. She wasn't thinking anymore just acting. With a face twisted in fury, almost demonic, she walked toward Yakou. Her eyes locked onto him as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small knife.
As she lunged forward to stab him, Yakou remained still, not moving an inch.
Then, in a split second, the referee appeared out of nowhere, intercepting the attack effortlessly.
"In this game, violence is forbidden. Due to a player breaking the rules, they are now disqualified."
Nika collapsed to the ground, stunned not just by her failure, but by the sheer speed of the referee's reaction.
Yakou looked down at her, his voice cold yet almost amused.
"Your eyes… You wouldn't have gone through with that slash. It's a pity. I really thought you had it in you."
Gasping for air, Nika screamed at him.
"Just who the hell are you?!"
Before he could answer, I stood up and walked over to Yakou.
"Yakou, let's leave this place," I said. "Don't worry about the 100,000 coins it doesn't matter. There's no point in staying here… Besides, I already got what I wanted."
Yakou gave me a questioning look. "Shouldn't I at least get the coins? I can easily win the game."
I glanced at the other players before speaking. "All of you, concede defeat now, and I'll let you join me and Yakou. If you don't… we'll beat you to death."
Yakou tapped my shoulder. "Umm, Ken… you're facing the wrong direction."
I let out a deep sigh. "Well, you get the damn point, don't you?"
One of the players finally stood up the yellow dot player. The rest were too scared to speak.
"You can't attack us in the game area," he said. "And if we all work together, we can defeat you. If you try anything after that, there's all of us against just you and your friend. He wouldn't be able to do anything."
I shook my head. "It's a pity you can't see the results… This battle is already over, and my will is empty."
"Shut up already! Ever since this game started, I knew something was off. Now I'll fucking show you! I'm going E6 eat me, Darius! I don't care if you were teaming with Nika or whatever schemes you were plotting. Let's just win this and get it over with!"
It was Liri's turn. She sighed. "Yeah, to be honest, I couldn't care less now. I don't know why I let myself get persuaded by you… And just so all of you know, I'm not your friend. I'm just not his friend."
She moved her dot to G5.
Darius hesitated. "Are you sure I should eat you, Hajudaru?"
"Just do it. I don't care."
Darius captured Hajudaru's dot, making Red the second team to achieve a capture. He placed his second dot at D5. "MC, capture my dots next to get even more… I'll use my extra turn to move my E5 dot to E4 to close the distance."
It was now the White player's turn. They moved to H6.
"Create a chain, Michael! Capture me and Liri!"
"Hey, what the hell?! I didn't agree to this just to help defeat him!" Liri shouted.
It was MC's turn. He captured Darius's dot at D5, placing his second dot at D4. Then, using the extra turn, he captured Darius's second dot at E4, placing his third dot at F5. Using yet another extra turn, he captured Liri's dot at G5, placing his fourth dot at H5. Then, he captured White's dot at H6. With his final extra turn, he placed his fifth and final dot at I5, then moved it to J4.
Minowa's turn came next. Not wanting to be the outcast, he quickly moved his dot to D2.
Yakou let out a deep breath, his expression unreadable. His fingers lightly tapped the board before he slowly moved his dot from G1 to F1. A small, seemingly insignificant move yet one that sent chills down MC's spine.
"You're still just stalling," MC muttered, his confidence growing. "This is over, Yakou."
The others watched in tense silence. Liri clenched her fists, her gaze darting between the board and Yakou's face. Darius, though shaken, still kept his eyes locked on Yakou's movements.
It was MC's turn again. Without hesitation, he moved his dot from H6 to H5, pressing even further. He could feel that victory was within reach. He glanced up at Yakou, expecting to see frustration, hesitation, maybe even fear.
But instead… Yakou smirked.
MC, a bit furious, turned his anger towards Minowa. "Just so you know, you teamed up with Yakou, so you're going down too. You better just surrender your dot, and we'll let you leave freely."
Minowa was trembling. "I… I'm sorry… Pl-please… Don't… Hurt me…"
Yakou spoke up, firm and unwavering. "Minowa, don't listen to these fools. I'll help you. I just need one favor move to E3. I will protect you. Don't worry, you have my promise."
The other players tried to persuade him otherwise. "Don't listen to him!" "Don't trust him!" "Don't… Don't… Don't…"
That was all Minowa could hear as his vision blurred. Overwhelmed by the heat and exhaustion, he collapsed. But before he hit the ground, his trembling hand moved his dot to E3.
Yakou caught him. "Thank you, kind warrior. Now, I shall deliver the message you've sent us all."
It was Yakou's inevitable turn. They couldn't stop what was coming.
Yakou captured Minowa's dot, placing his second dot at F4. Using his extra turn, he captured MC's orange dot at E4, placing another dot at E5. With another extra turn, he used that same dot to capture MC's dot at D5. He then placed his extra dot at E6. Using his F4 dot, he captured MC's dot at G5, quickly placing his second dot at G6. With another extra turn, he captured MC's dot at H5, placing the extra dot at I5. Finally, with one last move, he captured MC's final dot at J4, finishing the turn.
The game was over.
The referee announced, "Game over. The winners are the Green Dots. Would you all like to play another game?"
No one moved. No one spoke.
The referee repeated, "Well, say duel if you'd like to play again… Goodbye." And with that, he disappeared in an instant.
All eyes turned toward me, Yakou, and Minowa.
I turned to Yakou. "Take Minowa with us. I'm going back to the carriage. If anyone tries to stop you, just knock them out. I'd rather not have blood on my hands."
"Yes, sir."
Meruki thought to himself, How could this Ken guy persuade such a beast… and tame it? But we can still win.
Then, Nika suddenly stood up and screamed, "YOU'RE DEAD!!"
The other players rushed toward Yakou, but he placed Minowa down, turned to face them, and drew his katana.
Before I could even process what happened, everyone was already knocked down.
Yakou picked Minowa back up, and we headed toward the carriage, where the other referee was waiting.
"Hello, players. I see you've picked up another player! So, shall we play another game?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Alright! And what's the destination?"
"Irvine City."
"What is the bet going to be?"
"Just 100 coins."
"Alright! All of you, say duel when you are ready to go!"
I pointed at Yakou to wake Minowa up. As Yakou shook him, Minowa's eyes slowly opened.
I smirked down at him. "Minowa, don't be uncool. Say duel! Haha, it rhymes."
Minowa, still dazed, murmured the word faintly.
"Oh, here it comes. Get ready, Yakou."
A weak "Duel…" escaped Minowa's lips.
"Duel."
"Duel."
Yakou and I spoke at the same time.
The referee announced, "Alright. Destination: Irvine City. Bet: 100 coins each. Game rules: Do not leave the carriage until the destination, or you lose. If no one leaves, it's a draw. Now, let the game begin!"
Yakou set Minowa down and looked at me.
I met his gaze and scoffed. "Don't give me that look, you damn bastard."
Yakou glanced at Minowa, then back at me. "Is he the third person?"
I chuckled. "No… I just felt pity for some reason. I wonder… I wonder why?"