Day 99 – 30 Hours Remaining
Kaito Arisawa sat in his dimly lit apartment, staring at the glowing numbers on his phone screen.
30:00:00
The time had increased.
He had tested the system—stolen from a bleeding man, and it had rewarded him.
His heart still pounded, not just from fear but from something deeper, something darker. A thrill, a rush, the kind of sensation he had never experienced before.
"Is this what vilins feel?"
He pressed his palm against his forehead, trying to steady his thoughts.
"I can’t afford to panic. I need to understand the rules."
The money in his bank account was still there—10 million yen. If this was some kind of twisted experiment, someone had access to his personal information, including his financial records.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
Whoever—or whatever—was behind this game had the power to manipute reality itself.
The screen on his phone flickered again.
> NEW OBJECTIVE: COMMIT A GREATER CRIME WITHIN 24 HOURS.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN A 12-HOUR PENALTY.
Kaito exhaled sharply.
So this wasn’t just a passive game. The system wanted escation.
"I need to pn my next move carefully."
But before he could think further, a sharp knock echoed through his apartment.
Three precise knocks.
His head snapped toward the door.
No one ever visited him.
His pulse quickened. His fingers tightened around his phone as he slowly approached the door. Peering through the peephole, he saw a figure standing under the dim hallway light.
A girl.
Short, with sleek bck hair and wearing a fitted bck hoodie over a dark turtleneck. She stood with a casual posture, but something about the way she carried herself screamed danger.
She knocked again.
Three times. Precise. Deliberate.
"Arisawa Kaito?"
Her voice was sharp, cool, and unreadable.
Every instinct told him not to open the door.
But a new notification appeared on his phone.
> WARNING: PLAYER DETECTED. INTERACTION UNAVOIDABLE.
His breath caught.
"Another… pyer?"
This wasn’t just a system targeting him. Others were involved.
Kaito took a slow, steady breath before unlocking the door.
The girl stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.
She took a quick gnce around his apartment, her sharp eyes flicking over the empty ramen cups, the books, and his ptop before settling on him.
"You’ve already committed your first crime, haven’t you?"
Kaito didn’t answer.
The girl smirked and reached into her hoodie, pulling out her phone.
She turned the screen toward him.
It was identical to his. A countdown ticking down.
51:00:12
Her time was significantly higher than his.
"Does that mean she’s done more than me?"
The girl tilted her head, studying his reaction. "Judging by your face, you only just started. I expected more from you, Arisawa."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "And you are?"
"Call me Reika," she said. "And before you start thinking about whether you should trust me—"
She moved faster than he expected. In a blink, a knife was pressed against his throat.
Cold steel.
A slow, amused smile spread across her lips as she leaned in slightly.
"I don’t trust you either."
Kaito didn’t flinch. His heart pounded, but he forced his body to remain still.
She was testing him.
If he panicked, she would know he was weak.
Instead, he smirked. "You’re not going to kill me."
Reika arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you so sure?"
"You could have stabbed me the moment I opened the door. Instead, you walked in and started talking."
Reika’s smile widened. "Smart. I like that."
She stepped back, flipping the knife effortlessly in her hand before slipping it back into her hoodie.
"You’re new to this, so let me expin something," she said. "This isn’t just a game of survival. It’s a competition."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
She crossed her arms, her expression turning serious.
"There are others like us. All with different objectives. Some have to kill. Some have to protect. Some just have to survive until their countdown hits zero."
Kaito’s blood ran cold.
"And you?" he asked carefully.
Reika’s eyes gleamed. "I’m a ‘Hunter.’ My goal is to eliminate certain ‘pyers.’ If I succeed, I get bonus time."
Silence stretched between them.
Kaito’s mind raced.
"If she’s a Hunter… does that mean she’s supposed to kill someone like me?"
Reika suddenly grinned and reached into her pocket.
"Rex. You’re not on my list. Yet."
She tossed something onto his table.
A USB drive.
"What’s this?" Kaito asked.
"Information," Reika said. "If you’re serious about winning this game, you’ll need to understand the rules. I gathered some data on past pyers. Let’s just say… the system isn’t as fair as it looks."
Kaito picked up the USB, his mind spinning with questions.
Reika headed toward the door but paused.
"One st thing," she said over her shoulder. "You’ve got an objective to commit a greater crime, don’t you?"
Kaito didn’t answer.
Reika smirked. "Good. That means we’re officially rivals."
Then, without another word, she slipped into the shadows and disappeared.
The door clicked shut.
Kaito stood there, gripping the USB tightly.
This game was far bigger than he thought.
And now, he had competition.
---
To Be Continue
