“Before anything else, I would like to hear your input regarding your performance.”

Kurosawa Touma spoke after staring at the distance, arms crossed, for almost an entire minute.

I pushed a chair, thinking how long it would take for me to finally take that shower. I waited a few more seconds, just to make sure Kurosawa was serious. When his gaze never wavered, I chuckled.

“I say I did great, though I did not work alone. My Squad partner helped me a lot at the beginning, and I also cooperated with Hal and Aída. The Royal Squad, on the other hand…”

Kurosawa narrowed his eyes, new piercing shadows crossing his gaze. I smiled.

“The Royal Squad could have been more helpful at the beginning of the investigation. Though I have no complaints about their support during the wedding ceremony.”

The man scoffed. I could sense the irony before he even opened his mouth.

“The Royal Squad’s performance was adequate—I have no qualms about them. In these kinds of situations, once we bend our knees to chaos and forget where we should stand, everything starts falling apart. We lose direction, purpose, and order.”

A laugh escaped my lips as I crossed my arms, a hint of irritation appearing in my voice.

“Yet if there is no aid or collaboration within a team, no matter how orderly you make things out to be, the results will be weaker.”

He took three steps closer to me, his voice lowering, his eyes darkening. “There was no way for you to know you would be right.”

“And if you had helped me from the get-go, we could have secured both endings,” I stood up, closing our distance. “I kept telling you, from the very beginning, that we should investigate more. Learn more about the Bride and the princes.”

Kurosawa clenched his jaw, his eyes piercing my own.

“As the leader, my mission is to make sure everyone will make out alive. That we complete these trials.”

“And as your employee, my mission is to bring the best results possible. Isn’t this what we agreed? My payment will be decided according with my performance, which is why we are doing this little play now.”

“Little play? Is this a game to you, then?”

By the tone in his voice, he was offended. Angrier.

“We are in a game. And this system, it’s testing us. It keeps adding rules, or making them too vague, as if it wants to see how smart we are. How far ahead we can see. Which is why you need people like me.”

“Someone who refuses to listen?”

“Someone who can bend the system’s rules to our advantage.” Kurosawa's expression changed slightly, the anger melting away as his lines softened. “I’m not saying each one of us should do whatever we want—you are right about what you said, we can’t let things get chaotic. However, you should recognize an opportunity when you see one.”

“And what opportunity would that be?”

“The chance of getting back at this game. The better we do, the more the system rewards us—you received it as well, didn’t you? The notification about the ‘Hidden Ending’.”

By the way he averted my gaze, I knew I was right. Though I could not be certain everyone had received it, at least the main contributors should get this same notification. Like the main cast of a theatrical play.

I took a couple of steps back, the tension in the room dissipating little by little. “So far, we know nothing about this world. Why we are here, what will happen once these trials are over, who controls the system—zero. All they told us was how this was our second chance in life, and how we should prove ourself to those Benefactors.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

I could see Kurosawa thinking over my words, processing them. I was speaking nothing but facts, as he knew that.

“If no one will give us answers, how do you think we will get them? By playing safe and following whatever the system says? By setting the difficulty as ‘Easy’?”

The man’s eyes met mine once again, his gaze stronger. Fiercer. Yet before he could say anything, I passed my hand through my hair and sighed.

“I’m not asking you or the others to risk your lives. I’m asking you to trust me. Just like you did on the last trial.”

“And what if you are wrong? What happens if I trust you, and this is the very thing that condemns us?” His voice became darker, sharper. It made me shiver.

[I knew three of the people who died on that trial. They may be nameless strangers to you, but they were my friends. Keep that in mind next time you decide to play with other people’s lives.]

I recalled one message I received, right after the First Trial.

The idea of being the one responsible for not only Kurosawa’s team, but everyone participating in these Trials was not only frightening, it was almost overwhelming. A responsibility I didn’t want to have weighting on my shoulders.

Yet if I wanted to prove myself—if I wanted to prove to that system I was special enough to get answers—I couldn’t look away and pretend to be weightless.

You don’t need to be a leader.

You just need to make sure you will choose the best scenarios.

…easy, right?

I held my breath, taking a few moments to reply.

Thinking of the words I would utter that would seal a fate; one I was still uncertain I could handle.

“I will make sure not only that my actions won’t put us at risk, but will make us go higher. Make us relevant enough to attract the attention of the ‘developers’ of this game, and get answers.”

He let out a dry laugh, crossing his arms as the sarcastic smile curled his lips.

“Those can very well be empty promises from a clueless fool.”

“Then think of it this way; I don’t want to die.”

Kurosawa furrowed, staring at me with a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

“Are you implying that most people here have a desire to die?”

“No. That’s not it,” I replied with clenched fists, the words still mixing and finding their proper place in my mouth. “…I don’t know what kind of life you had before coming here. Nor anyone else’s. Yet the world I lived in, even when covered with privileges and commodities, was unbearable to me. So even if I have to keep playing these games and cracking my head every time we receive a new Trial, all I can feel is relief. Joy. Because I was given a new life. A new chance.”

The man continued to stare at me; analyzing, observing, thinking.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure no one here wants to die. And I’ve seen what a lot of them would do to prevent that from happening. But I don’t think there are many here happy with this situation. Eager to stay here and keep this life.”

I took a few steps closer to him, looking him straight in the eye.

“So even if you don’t believe in my desire to live, believe in the potential I’ve shown you so far. Trust me to keep bringing you the best results, while assisting me in every way you can. This is what I want from you.”

It felt like a long time had passed until Kurosawa’s lips parted, until I finally heard his voice.

“After hearing your thoughts, I will give you my own feedback regarding your performance.”

The man opened his inventory, his gaze never leaving mine. I received the system’s notification not even three seconds after he extended his hand to me, holding the items in his hand.

[You have received a gift!]

[Contracted Self Kurosawa Touma is gifting you 10x Cards]

I widened my eyes at the number, still unable to move my hands.

“Consider this a bonus for unlocking a unique ending. As well as an investment for your future endeavors.”

He placed the ten Cards on my open hand, turning away toward the door. When I finally came back to my senses, I called out to him just in time to see him opening the front door.

“What about your report on my performance? And you never replied to my proposal.”

Kurosawa Touma raised his eyebrow, almost as if he was confused by my words.

“Was it not agreed previously that you would be paid according to your performance?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“As you so wisely put it yourself, it’s quite foolish to spend money on useless things—especially in our current situation.”

I blinked, too stunned for words.

10 Cards equaled ten spins at the Store. Each try cost 1,500 points.

That man had just spent 15.000 points on me.

“You better rest while you can. We have no way of knowing when the next Trial will start, after all.”

Then, just like that, he was gone.

I stood there for a few more moments, staring at the door and the cards in my hands. A laugh escaped my lips, an odd excitement spreading within my chest. Somehow, I felt proud.

After storing the cards in my inventory, I finished undressing and finally made my way to the bathroom. Because I was desperate for a hot shower and Kurosawa Touma was right.

There was no way we could know when the system would call us again.

And how much time we had until our lives were on the line again.