The Pain of an Inferior: A Blistering Love Comedy That Begins After a Broken Heart - Chapter 46

“Where…is this…?”

Haruka woke up in a strange place.

It looks like a school classroom as far as he could see, but it’s not A-10 Academy, but a school that he doesn’t know.

He stood up and looked out the window. The sky was a clear blue with few clouds.

What made him suspicious was that he could see the sea in the distance. At present, the sea is visible only in the lower layer or from the continent of Eugeia.

In the lower layer, there is no blue sky visible. So, Haruka wondered if this is the continent of Eugeia. Or maybe it’s a large lake that looks like the sea. Either way, he was definitely far away from the Obi house.

Haruka tried to activate his Talisman, but it wouldn’t do anything. He can’t contact anyone, and he can’t find out where exactly he is.

Haruka wondered if he somehow got whisked into the virtual world.

“…. Huh?”

Feeling something strange in his pocket, Haruka puts his hand in to check. His fingertip touched something like a hard card. He picked it up and took it out.

“A card?”

Haruka found a playing card inside his pocket. It was too heavy and hard for a card. They look like playing cards, but they seem to be made of metal.

The suit of the card was spades. The number was A.

While Haruka was checking the unique feel of the card, A floating window suddenly appeared.

[The game starts at 5:58:48.]

[Rules]

[Rule Fragment]

[Clear Condition]

[MOD]

Seeing the disturbing sequence of letters, Haruka frowned.

It reminded him of a battle royal movie he had seen with his sister.

“There’s no way…”

Touching the game rule, the window switched and a new text appeared.

[Thank you for playing our game.

Rules of the game:

The time limit of the game is seventy-two hours.

You players must meet the clear condition at the end of the game.

If you have not met the clear condition at the end of the game, you will die.

Even if you meet the clear condition in the middle of the game, if you have not met it at the end of the game, you will die as well.

There are 14 players in total.

Each of the thirteen players has a card of the suit of spades from 1 to 13. One player has a joker.

Giving up your initial card and acquiring another player’s card does not exchange the clear condition.

Even if a player does not have their initial card, he or she is considered to have completed the game if he or she fulfills their clear condition.

Players have cards of the suit of spades, but there are 13 cards of random suits and numbers other than spades hidden throughout the field.

These cards are there to fulfill the requirements of the game, so please find them and use them to your advantage.

Cards may be freely transferred, exchanged, discarded, or stolen.

Cards cannot be destroyed.

Food, water, and mods are hidden in the field.

Mods provide you with useful functions. Please make use of them.

Violence or murder before the game starts will result in your forcible exit from the game. Please understand this.

Once the game starts, we encourage you to act to complete the game by any means necessary, without being bound by the law or ethics.

We wish you good luck!]

As Haruka read the rules, his face turns pale little by little.

A certain doubt grew in his mind.

Thinking that it’s impossible, he tapped the “Clear” button.

A new window opens, displaying the conditions for clearing the game.

[Complete a royal straight flush.]

Below the text, there was a simple explanation of what a Royal Straight Flush is.

In the game of poker, the Royal Straight Flush is a hand that consists of 10, J, Q, K, and A in the same suit.

After reading those rules, Haruka can’t imagine playing poker.

Perhaps they want them to collect the cards and complete the hand.

Finally, Haruka, licking and wetting his lips dry with nervousness, tapped [rule fragment].

[Rule Fragment 1.

Each of the 14 players has one of the seven rules distributed to each of them.

In order to understand the whole game, please interact with other players actively!

1: Clear condition for all players.

As stated in the game rules, the clear condition does not change even if the initial cards are discarded, transferred, or exchanged.

You do not need to have the initial cards as long as you have fulfilled the clear conditions.

All the conditions for each card shown below must be satisfied at the end of the game.

A : A Royal Straight Flush must be completed.

2: The surviving player must have thirteen cards or less.

3: No player has the A of spades.

4: Four or more cards of the suit of spades.

5: Three of a kind, regardless of suit.

6: You have a flush or a straight.

7: In possession of the seven of spades. Has not killed anyone.

8: Two pairs of any rank.

9: He has nine or more cards of any suit except the suit of spades.

10: The total value of the cards in your hand is over fifty.

J: Blackjack (21) is completed. J, Q, and K are counted as 10, and A is counted as 1 or 11, whichever you prefer.

Q: Holds one card from 1 to 10 of any suit.

K: the initial holder of Q satisfies the conditions for clearing the hand. A: The initial holder of A of spades is dead. Or, the initial holder of A of spades has a joker. At least two of the above conditions are met.

Joker: All players must be dead.]

Seeing so much detailed information, Haruka crumpled down on the floor.

The images of Ria, Miyako, and Yuzurika appeared and disappeared one after another like a revolving lantern.

He pulls out the nearest chair and sat down, plopping down on the desk and letting out a sigh.

He had to think. But he doesn’t want to think.

With a feeling of a kind of thought-stopping, abandonment, and escape from reality, Haruka hung down like that for a while, as if he were falling asleep.

He had been like that for about 30 minutes.

“Are you okay…?”

Haruka, who had been lying on the desk for a long time, was suddenly called from behind, causing his shoulders to jump involuntarily.

Haruka stands up hurriedly and looks for the owner of the voice.

“Shirogane-san….?”

There was Shirogane Tsuyuri, a student of the top caste in the same class, standing there.

Her bright silver hair, as prominent as Yunika’s, was loose and fluffy, flowing down to her mid-back and spread wide. A small braid hanging down by her left cheek, and a red hair elastic binding the braid are conspicuous. Her red eyes look straight into Haruka’s eyes.

She was fair-skinned, but her skin is excessively white. She is emotionless and has an air of mystery about her. Unlike Haruka, who wears plain clothes, Tsuyuri was wearing a school uniform skirt and shirt. She was wearing a black toque under her skirt, a cream-colored cardigan over her shirt, and a pair of headphones around her neck.

When her red eyes recognized Haruka, Tsuyuri narrowed her eyes.

“Obi Haruka… Why are you here?”

Her voice was inorganic, quiet, clear and beautiful with little intonation.

She seems emotionless at first glance, but Haruka unexpectedly seen her smiling a few times at school with her mouth clamped shut. In fact, when she is involved with Shun, she usually has a smile on her face.

“I don’t know, I was here before I knew it.”

“Me too…Here..Look..”

Saying this, Tsuyuri took out a playing card from her skirt pocket.

For a moment, Haruka’s expression became tense, but when he checked the card in her hand, his tension was released.

The card held by Tsuyuri is the 5 of spades.

The condition for Tsuyuri to clear the game is to complete the three of a kind, regardless of the rank. It depended on the randomly placed cards, but it has not been confirmed that it conflicts with the clear condition of Haruka.

“Is this a prank?”

“It would nice if it was a prank…”

Haruka looked out the window with a downcast look.

There are many people who are willing to do dangerous or illegal things that no one would do in order to gain recognition. However, if the act is caught in video, it will not be evaluated.

This is to prevent people from having dangerous ideas that they can gain a reputation by committing a crime. Even if the reward is attractive enough to convince the criminals to do the kidnapping and record a video, video sites and the TV stations will not allow it.

“How much do you remember, Shirogane-san? I only remember the part on the way back from playing with Ria on the 12th.”

“I also remember practicing at school on the 12th, and I was on my way home.”

“We were not walking on a deserted street.”

“Me too…”

Haruka and Tsuyuri didn’t walk on streets that were easy to get kidnapped on their way home.

Should they admire the criminal’s kill in abducting an unconscious person without anyone noticing, or should they suspect that this was some special trick?

“By the way, what’s your rule fragment, Shirogane-san?”

“I don’t know …?”

Tsuyuri operates a floating window displayed in the air and shares her information to Haruka.

[Rule fragment 4.

About the Joker card.

The Joker card can be changed to any suit and rank, and can be used to fulfill the clear condition.

Once the Joker card is changed, it cannot be changed for four hours.

After four hours have elapsed, the card change function will be available.

The Joker’s changed card cannot be recognized by other players, but they can recognize the Joker’s card by holding it while the card change function is available. ]

Haruka looks at the rules shared to him, and groans.

The Joker card is pretty useful, but the clear condition for the Joker is simply the elimination of all other players.

Even if you get the Joker, you may be targeted by other players for the Joker card.

It’s easy to imagine that it is a very difficult card to deal with.

Especially, the three of a kind, which is a the clear condition for Tsuyuri, requires a joker, depending on the randomly placed cards.

“I’ll share the fragment that I have, too.”

Haruka manipulated a floating window and sent the rule fragment 1 to Tsuyuri.

Tsuyuri looked at the long rule fragment.

She wrinkled her brow and made a difficult face.

“This… What is it?”

“Who knows?”

When asked for an answer, Haruka became oblivious. He already had something in mind, but he was not sure.

“Listen, Shirogane-san. Do you think we’re inside a virtual world? or do you think this place is real?”

In response to the Haruka’s question, Tsuyuri turned her head down and thought.

“We’re inside a virtual world maybe? I can’t activate my Talisman, but I can open a window.”

Restricted areas for Talisman usage exists in reality, it’s just that usually only the communication function is disabled, the activation of the Talisman can be confirmed.

However, the Talisman’s activation can’t be confirmed in this space. Just a few days ago, when Haruka went to pick up Miyako, he was able to activate his Talisman even when he was blocked from using any functions in the hospital. It’s only in the  virtual world that the Talisman can’t be activated.

“It’s impossible for anyone but the King to stop our Talisman’s functions, which is fused with the human body at a subatomic level. If that’s the case, then we’re inside a virtual world.”

Tsuyuri nodded in agreement with Haruka’s words.

“And the contents of the game are very dangerous, and there are some conditions that you have to kill people to clear the game.”

Instead of a rebuke, Tsuyuri nodded her head again.

With a meditative look on his face, Haruka opened his dry lips to express his thoughts.

“…. I’m not sure… But maybe it was [Red Rom] who brought us here. ……”

Hearing what Haruka had said, Tsuyuri’s expression became tense.

It was as if the air was frozen.

Even Haruka, who mentioned it, had a pale expression on his face.

“No way… That’s impossible…”

Tsuyuri shook her head, muttering in a pitifully trembling voice.

Her normally white skin turned even paler, and she shook her body slightly.

“I hope this is a dream or a prank…”

[Red Rom] is a large-scale criminal organization.

They kidnap ordinary citizens and force them to play illegal VR games using illegal VR machines.

Although they have been active for hundreds of years, the organization continues to exist without being caught.

Every year, some people are affected, and some come back.

From the stories of the survivors, it seems that [Red Rom]’s activities are aimed at observing people’s inner nature, their extreme forms, and their ugly side, which cannot be seen in normal life.

“Maybe they want to make us kill each other in an unsightly way and spectate us.”

The image of the King flashed in Haruka’s mind.

She, too, had confirmed the strength and abnormality of Miyako’s feelings by branching her into ten billion different paths without any regard to ethics.

For a long time now, the people have suspected that [Red Rom] was connected to the King. After all, the police have been chasing them for hundreds of years to no avail.

Remembering the King’s words and actions, Haruka begins to suspect that the theory of [Red Rom]’s connection with the Royalty is true.

“This is the worst… I want to go home…”

“Let’s gather information for now. If what was written in the rules is true, there must be others.”

It’s easy to escape from reality by calling it a prank or a dream, but since they have been kidnapped and above all, it says that they will die if they don’t clear the game, they must be mindful of the existence of [Red Rom].

If Haruka fails to be optimistic, there is a possibility that he may never see Yuzurika and the others again.

Taking Tsuyuri, who has lost all her energy, Haruka goes out into the corridor of the school.

The school seems to be located on a hill, and the whole area around the school can be seen. In the distance, Haruka can see buildings and residential areas, and beyond them, he can faintly see the sea in the distance.

Perhaps they are surrounded by the sea.

With Tsuyuri walking behind him, Haruka had a bad thought.

It’s possible that all the other players are friends or acquaintances.

Though they are not closely related to each other, they are classmates of Haruka and Tsuyuri. Is it possible that [Red Rom] randomly selects two players from the same class?

If Ria, Miyako, and Yuzurika were players, and if his clear conditions are clashing with theirs, Haruka wouldn’t hesitate to give his life for them, and hope for their safe return to reality.

He could only pray that they would not be players.

As Haruka walked away, he took out the Ace of Spades, the card he has been given, and looked at it.

If the other players were strangers…

“…. What’s wrong?”

“… Nothing.”

With a dubious expression, Tsuyuri called out to Haruka, who suddenly stopped.

He replied emotionlessly and starts walking again.

If the other players are strangers, Haruka will kill them mercilessly in order to return to them.

No niceties, no pity, no mercy.

He will return to Miyako and the others.

All he has to think about is to clear the game.

“We’re going home”

“Yeah…”

These words were exchanged casually.

Tsuyuri did not realize what Haruka was thinking in his heart.