Shuntaro's smirk lingered. His sharp blue eyes glowed with amusement as the other players waited for Yukian's reaction.

She exhaled sharply.

Then, in a calm but firm voice, she spoke.

"The game just started. Like you said."

Shuntaro raised an eyebrow, but she didn't stop.

"All twelve players are still here. Meaning the actual Phantom hasn't killed yet."

The room stilled.

Sayaka's gray eyes narrowed slightly. Souta let out a slow hmm.

Yukian took a step forward, locking eyes with Shuntaro.

"So shut up."

A beat of silence.

Then—

A low chuckle.

Shuntaro grinned, hands in his hoodie pockets. "Oof. Harsh, sweetheart."

Renji snorted. "She's got a point, though."

Mikio pushed up his glasses, smirking. "Logical. I like it."

Shuntaro tilted his head, his expression playfully unreadable.

"You're fun," he mused. "This is gonna be interesting."

Yukian rolled her eyes.

The attention shifted off her.

For now.

But in the back of her mind—she was still thinking about Mikio's whisper.

How did he know her role?

And more importantly—was he a Phantom?

The tension finally broke.

Shuntaro still had his annoying smirk, but the others looked slightly more at ease—for now.

Yukian took the chance to shift the conversation.

She crossed her arms and looked at the group.

"Anyway."

The players turned toward her.

Yukian's gaze darkened.

"What are y'all's stories? How did you end up here?"

A few people frowned. Others looked confused.

She gestured toward the room around them. The metallic walls, the glowing screens, the artificial air.

"This obviously ain't Earth."

Silence.

Haruka nervously twisted her fingers. "I... I don't remember much."

Souta yawned. "Same. Just woke up here."

Sayaka's gray eyes flickered. "Tch. If I knew, I wouldn't be standing here."

Itsuki shifted uncomfortably. "I was at home. On my computer. Then... I saw a message."

Yukian's stomach tightened.

A message?

Ami nodded slowly. "Me too. It said... 'Do you want to play a game?'"

Yukian's blood ran cold.

Her own memory clicked.

The message. The one that appeared on her screen right before she got sucked in.

She wasn't the only one.

Mikio adjusted his glasses, smirking. "Huh. Interesting."

Renji cracked his knuckles. "So, we're in some kind of sick game, then?"

Nagi, the well-built guy with orange hair, narrowed his eyes. "The real question is—who's running it?"

The room fell silent again.

Yukian didn't have an answer.

But one thing was clear.

None of them had chosen to be here.

And whoever brought them was watching.

The room was quiet.

The question still lingered in the air—how did we get here?

The others gave vague answers. Fragments of memories. A strange message. Confusion. Fear.

Yukian let out a slow breath, then spoke.

"Before I got here, I was gonna hang myself."

Silence.

Dead, suffocating silence.

Every gaze snapped to her.

She didn't look at them.

She kept her expression blank, emotionless.

"I didn't even have to tap the message."

Her voice was steady, cold.

"It just sucked me into the computer."

The tension in the room shifted violently.

Haruka's amber eyes widened. Ami let out a small, strangled gasp.

Sayaka stiffened. Renji's usual tough expression darkened slightly.

Shuntaro's smirk?

Gone.

For the first time, he looked at her with something unreadable.

Mikio, ever the calculating one, adjusted his glasses.

"Interesting," he murmured.

Yukian exhaled.

She wasn't expecting sympathy. She wasn't expecting understanding.

But she didn't care.

Because now, one thing was certain.

She wasn't the only one pulled here for a reason.

Silence.

Yukian's words still hung in the air.

"Before I got here, I was gonna hang myself."

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Then—

A deep, metallic beep echoed through the room.

The screens flickered.

A robotic voice boomed overhead.

"THE FIRST ROUND BEGINS NOW."
"ALL PLAYERS MUST COMPLETE THEIR TASKS BEFORE NIGHTFALL."
"THE PHANTOMS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CHOSEN."

The tension snapped instantly.

The game had started.

Haruka tensed. Renji cracked his knuckles. Mikio's smirk returned.

Shuntaro stretched, sighing dramatically. "Welp, guess it's time to work."

Yukian's stomach tightened.

This was it.

No more talking.

Now—it was time to survive.