PROTO Chapter 7"What should we do now Nezumi?"I asked her while the crowd is still nuts.
"....We need more hints.....OY!USAGI!"Nezumi suddenly shouted.
After what she said just 1 of the 3 large monitors appeared above and thus the noisy crowd suddenly stopped on what they are looking and stood up their head,waiting on what's going to happen.
"Oh!what is it Nezumi-chwan?"
"Could you show the flat diagram of the dice you presented earlier?"
"Eh???Hmmm.....I don't know on how that is going to help but okay!"
After that the monitor that is presenting Usagi-san's face change into the dice's flat diagram and it looked like this,
"Is that the only thing you need Nezumi-chwan?"
"Yes.Just let that picture stay and don't fade out the monitor."
"Okay then!Everyone you only have 45 minutes remaining!Hurry up!!!your gates through the 6 CP's are going to fade out if you keep em' waitin'!!!well See ya later~!!!"
After that Nezumi looked up through the monitor and so does the other players.Group by group are giving theories to each other on which circle should they select and some are playing dirty....planning on betraying their allies,just....why are they doing this?thinking and saving their own lives and not for the both of them?Why are some humans so selfish?!
"Hey Minami.You should go in number 6 while I go in number 3."
"Eh?Why should we be separated?"
"Because we need to be sure."
"WHAT?!That doesn't make sense!!!Wait.....are you betraying me Nezumi?!"
"Hey!don't get the wrong idea!I'm not betraying you!"
"Then why should we be separated?!"
"Because!!!---"
Before Nezumi's words were complete,a random player suddenly shouted,
"H-Hey!someone got in the number 2 circle!!!!"
"I-It's my partner!!!She's a beta-tester and she's really good at puzzles!!!"
The crowd suddenly ran through the number 2 circle but not all of them got in.The beta-tester that was said to be a good puzzler was a girl.I am pitiful on seeing her situation.She was just crouching at the edge of the caged circle and getting crushed by the crowd that's surrounding her.Other players were afraid to risk their lives and just backed out of the 2nd puzzle and some are still thinking on which circle should they pick.
I looked at the monitor and I see why the girl chose the number 2 circle and it's because it's really close to the 2 numbers that appeared earlier and those are the number 1 and number 5 but why does Nezumi want me to be separated from her?There are still thousands of us outside the 6 circles and only 26 people are in the number 2 cage.Suddenly Nezumi spoke and said,
"Hey!All of you in circle number 2!Do you really believe her answer?"
The crowd inside the number 2 circle were confused as Nezumi asked them and a random player said,
"Ofcourse!She's a beta-tester!"
"And I am too!"Nezumi said.
"Do you really think that the dice that Usagi rolled was the exact dice that is in that bowl right there?!"Nezumi said as she pointed through the floating table.
"That thing that we saw earlier is clearly fake since the one that rolled it is impossible to see in reality!"
The crowd suddenly began to murmur and murmur and then another random player said,
"This is a game!!!an online game!Even carabaos can roll a dice here!It's on the code!You're theory doesn't make sense since we are in an online game!"
"Oh really?Well half of what you said is true but do you really think that this game would present the bowl in which the exact answer was? and if it is that exact bowl then did they maintain that answer?If you don't believe me then fine! but I'm just trying to save all of your butts from dying!"
All of the players in the circle 2 were shocked,they decided to get out of the circle as fast as they can.The theory of Nezumi was straight to the point.This game can betray us since it did betrayed us already!They betrayed us on playing this game so maybe this game would play tricks on us and betray us again!
I looked to the number 2 circle and the player that is in the circle is the beta-tester itself.She was still in the edge of the caged circle,it's like she's not even planning on going out of the circle.I looked at the time and I can't believe that we only have 10 minutes left.
Some players get in to different circles.What's creepy is that some of them are murmuring,"I don't have a great life so I should end it right now." and many more.Why do Akimoto-sensei have to do this?!Making us suffer instead of enjoying the game!
Suddenly Nezumi approached me and said,
"Minami.I am going to the number 3 circle,Right now I am not going to let you in the number 6 circle but I will just let you choose your own.It's your choice in the end if you still want me as your partner So I need to go."
After that Nezumi went straight to the number 6 circle.Some of the players followed her and if you look at it carefully most of the crowd is in Nezumi's side.They trusted her since she is very logical through the theory she just said earlier.
5 minutes remaining and I am still outside.Will I go inside or just stand here and save my life?but even though I save my life in this 2nd puzzle,I'm still at risk because I am still inside this game.
But suddenly...
"*hic* *hic*"
I heard a moaning cry that is coming at the 2nd circle.It was the girl that is know as a beta-tester.I don't know why but I approached her without thinking.
*side comment*I will insert a drawing here of Minami and the girl but the tablet's cable is broken :/ *end*
"Why are you crying?"
"It's none of your business....now leave me....you're just wasting your 5 minutes!"
"I'm not wasting it!so tell me!Why are you crying?"
The girl hugged me all of a sudden.It's like we have known each other for about a year or so.She kept crying and crying and I just patted her back and said,"What happened?"
I waited for her answer while she is moaning and sniffing the fluid that is going out through her nose.I used my jacket to wipe her tears and then she looked at me and said,
"My....my...partner betrayed me....he said that he will stay by my side but now he doesn't want to accompany me....."
she said that to me but not straightly,she can't look at my eyes straightly because she kept crying and can't hold her tears.I am so pitiful to this girl.I want to help her with all I got,her,being in this kind of situation is really sad to see so I said,
"Don't worry....It might not be too much but I will accompany you...even though I will die here in this circle!"
"We will not die here."
"What?....What do you mean?"I wondered as she said those words.
"....I said this to my partner but he didn't believe me because I have no theory."
"Why can't you say your theory?"
"....because I....I can't put it into words."
"What do you mean?"
"Well what made me do it is because of Usagi-san's words.The time he said
I know you are all wondering on what are those 6 towers in front of you!Well they are your ticket on aiming for the 6 CP!!!! ",It means that all of these circles might be the answer!but my partner didn't believe that and just left me."
"Ticket on aiming for the 6 CP........I GOT IT!"
"Eh?"
"You were right!Your hunch was right!"
What this beta-tester said gave me a really great hint,she remind me of the loop holes that Usagi-san said and what she said is one of those loopholes! The other one is that when Nezumi requested the flat diagram,there he said
"Hmmm.....I don't know on how that is going to help but okay!",It means that the answer is all of the circles!but you really have to think outside the box because you need a trick to be alive in this puzzle and it is really simple.
"Hey what's your name?"The beta-tester suddenly asked.
"Uhm...Takahashi Minami! and you are?"
"I'm....Maeda Atsuko.Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah nice to meet you too."
I replied as I shook her hand.
"Uhm....Takahashi-san...thank you for being here with me..."
"It's okay Maeda-san!Just tell me if you need something okay?"
"Okay *smiles*"
Wow....her smile is so angelic.....
"TIME'S UP EVERYONE~!!!!NOW HERE IS THE ANSWER~!!!"
Usagi-san's face suddenly appeared at the giant monitor and replaced the dice's flat diagram that was standing still along ago.The floating table when down through the ground while being guarded by the guards and after that the assigned guard to open the lid from the bowl was standing in front of it.
"Now Mr.Guard!You may now open the lid!
The guard grabbed the lid by using both of his hands,half a thousand of people are in each circle and I am scared to see someone that is going to die but this is how life rolls....
Me and Maeda-san are the only people in circle 2 while there are plenty in the other circles and the majority of the most player in a circle is in number 6 because Nezumi is in there but I was so concerned in Nezumi's current state,did she also thought on the thing that was running inside my head?did she saw the loophole in this puzzle?Only the bowl in front of us could answer those questions.
*Usagi-san's voice*"AND THE NUMBER IS!!!!!!!!!"
T.B.CWhat do you think the number is?