#ippei oki

Trust is like a quiet heartbeat, the invisible thread that binds two souls across distance, doubt, and time. It is the soft surrender in a whispered promise, the courage to believe in another’s heart when storms rage and silence falls. Without trust, any friendship is merely a flicker. Beautiful, but brief. But with it, the other person can becomes a sanctuary, a place where hearts can rest, unguarded and whole, wrapped in the warmth of certainty that they will not be broken.

You didn't know what made you compete in the Jack of Hearts game. Now that you knew what kind of game was waiting for you before you joined, you swore you'd never participate in a Hearts game.

You only cleared one once and it was the worst of all the games you had experienced.

Your visa was running out and you were more scared of both queen and king games. So you picked the last remaining Jack.

The building was an abandoned prison. The air was damp and stale, making the entire building smell rather musty. You picked up the second to last remaining phone and collar.

Shortly before registration closed, one more person joined, making you a total of 20 participants. You took a look around the room. None of the faces seemed familiar.

The game was called Solitary Confinement. You had to guess the symbol that appeared on the back of your collar within one hour. Spades, Clubs, Diamonds or Hearts. You were not allowed to try to look at it yourself. So you had to rely on others to tell you the symbol.

Within the last five minutes of each round, you had to step into one of the cells and say your symbol out loud. If it was incorrect, it was game over for you. If you guessed correctly, the symbol would change for the next round. There was no limit of rounds. The game ended when the Jack of Hearts, who was one of the participants, was eliminated.

All you had to do was find a trustworthy ally. For any other Hearts game, it would have been an advantage to not know any of the other players. But not for this one. You envied the couple in the back. They probably had nothing to worry about.

A girl in a pretty blue dress suggested that we should help each other by telling each other the symbols.

You were standing in the back, watching people respond with enthusiasm, being absolutely certain that this was a good idea.

"There's no way we will find the Jack and clear the game that way." You murmured to yourself.

"I agree. They will soon be realising the same thing and turn against each other." You jumped as you heard an unfamiliar voice behind you. You turned around and saw a blonde guy leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his body. He was wearing a white jacket, black shirt underneath. He looked at you and you tried to remember why he looked kind of familiar.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" You asked.

"I don't think we've met. But I was an executive at the Beach. Chishiya." You nodded as the look on your face turned rather unpleasant.

You weren't necessarily a fan of the Beach. You were forced to join them after you cleared the eight of Hearts and they desperately needed the playing card. That was shortly before chaos unfolded and the Beach was turned into a game arena. Or rather a battlefield.

So you still held a grudge against the people in charge of the Beach. That included their executives. You quickly excused yourself and walked away from Chishiya. He was certainly not to be trusted.

You walked over to the group the girl had formed. Her name was Urumi. You kindly asked them to tell you your symbol. It was a heart.

As you thanked them your eyes wandered back to Chishiya. He was standing with a young man who was wearing denim overalls and a striped yellow shirt underneath.

His gaze was fixated on you. Or perhaps your group in general? You weren't quite sure.

The hour went by faster than you thought and soon it was time to step into the cells. The robotic voice commanded you to say your symbol out loud. You obeyed and waited. Nothing happened. Everyone walked out of their cells unharmed.

During the second round one of the players became aggressive, trying to force a weak looking guy to tell him his symbol by punching him in the face. The scared boy obviously gave him the wrong answer. And now the game finally began.

19 Players left

You followed Urumi's group down to the kitchen. There was plenty of foods and drinks for the players. This game could take days, even weeks if they kept on playing like this. But of course the peace was soon destroyed, when Urumi suggested that the guy, who just gave the wrong answer last round, was the Jack of Hearts. Her followers believed her, agreeing to tell him a wrong symbol.

18 players left

A girl who disagreed with Urumi last round, saying it was wrong to lie to someone just because of assumptions they didn't even know to be true or not, was next. Urumi silently told the other members of the group to lie to her about the symbol.

17 players left

You needed to get away from that group. Because sooner or later they would lie to you, too. You found the guy in the denim overalls. He looked so innocent.

"Hey. Do you mind confirming whether my symbol is actually a club?" You asked, turning around.

You didn't notice how the boy looked around nervously, searching for Chishiya. He was standing in the entrance to the kitchen, watching Ippei and you. He gave him a quick nod.

"Yes, it's a club." The young man finally said. You turned around, smiling. "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Ippei." He responded shyly. "Thank you, Ippei. Do you want me to tell you your symbol as well?"

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Chishiya nodding again. So he turned around. "You're a club as well!" Ippei bowed his head and thanked you. You walked back upstairs as Ippei made his way over to Chishiya. "I already knew my symbol." He said.

"I know. I just wanted to see if they're being truthful to you. After all, they didn't specify the gender of the Jack."

16 players left

The game went on and at least one person lost their life each round. Because Urumi kept lying and accusing other people of being the Jack.

You let the group continue telling you your symbol. But you made sure to second check with Ippei.

15 players left

The hours passed and you were getting hungry. So you went into the kitchen and roamed the shelves for snacks.

"These are the best, you know." Chishiya said. He was sitting on one of the tables, holding up a bag of crackers. You knitted your brows, "they look really dry." You responded and grabbed something else.

You were about to leave the kitchen as he spoke again, "you're the one who cleared the eight of Hearts, aren't you?"

You turned around. "How do you-" you stopped mid-sentence, remembering. "Right. You executives stole my playing card and forced me to join that stupid cult of yours."

"The executives thought you could come in handy. That you were an important asset. Especially considering there was still the ten of Hearts missing." Chishiya took another bite from his stupid cracker.

"Perhaps I would have loved to help if you had asked nicely. But forcing someone to be part of something involuntarily is just low. You threatened to kill me if I didn't join." You said, crossing your arms.

"What did you expect? They were scared of you. It's better to keep your enemies close. Especially when it comes to survival. People will do anything for that. They didn't mind killing anyone that they believed to be a threat."

"You keep saying 'they'. You were a part of them, too, Chishiya." You left him at that.

You found Ippei upstairs and he approved that your symbol was a Diamond. He looked exhausted and sad. You told him to get something to eat because it might make him feel a little better.

12 players left

You couldn't seem to find him anywhere during the next round. He was still alive, the big screen confirmed it. So you walked down to the kitchen. It was only Chishiya and some of Urumi's group.

"Have you seen Ippei?" You asked Chishiya. They were partners after all. He shook his head. You sighed, turning around. "You're a spade." He said. This confirmed what the group has told you. So he was either being truthful to you or he just happened to guess the symbol the group had falsely told you. Chances were too low for that so you believed the group and ...him.

10 players left

Your next symbol was a spade again. That's what Urumi said to you. You found yourself downstairs again. You rolled your eyes when it was only Chishiya, eating his favourite snack again.

"You're either really hungry all the time or there's a secret to this kitchen."

Chishiya looked up, the expression on his face didn't change. "I like to observe. And the kitchen is the perfect spot for that. Everyone comes in here every once in a while."

"So, what is it you have figured out?" You asked, grabbing a bag of crisps. Chishiya looked at you, not saying a word.

"Fine. Don't tell me. I don't trust you either so I definitely don't expect you to trust me. You phrased it perfectly, people will do anything for their own survival."

Chishiya nodded. It was silent for a moment. "You're a heart." He said, his eyes on the back of your collar.

You knitted your eyebrows, "heart?" You asked again. Chishiya nodded.

Your thoughts were racing. Either he just lied to you or the group did.

"They told you a different symbol, didn't they?" He noticed how tense you had become, your fingers fidgeting with the bag in your hand. "Find Ippei. He can confirm that you're a heart." You looked at Chishiya. His eyes were boring into you, his face serious. "Perhaps it's time I earn a little bit of that trust back. I'm sorry for what you had to endure at the Beach. But believe me, I had nothing to do with it."

The hour was almost up and you couldn't find Ippei anywhere. He was an emotional mess and didn't handle this game well. You asked a member of the group again. But she just stayed quiet, not even repeating the symbol they gave you at the start of this round.

So you had no choice but to trust what Chishiya told you. And you made it through round 9. Everyone did in fact.

10 players left

Her followers finally decided to turn against Urumi in the next round. They all told her a wrong symbol. You were relieved to know the manipulator would be out of the game soon.

You were also relieved that you found Ippei, who was able to tell you your symbol. The sun was slowly beginning to rise.

8 players left

You were just about to grab one of the snacks that came in four differently coloured wrappers, when someone took a hold of your arm. "Don't take any of these." You looked at Chishiya in confusion. "There are others who need them more."

He shoved you away from the shelf as a woman was walking in. She took one of the snacks with a red coloured wrapper and was out of the kitchen right away.

"So what, she can have some of those and I can't?!" You protested. Chishiya handed you the bag he was holding in his own hand, "here. Have some of these."

You snorted, "I don't want your stupid dry crackers." "Shh!" He shushed you. "Just eat those and wait for a bit longer."

"What's going on?" You whispered.

A tall, young man walked in next. Chishiya was quick to grab your waist and pull you closer. The sudden action left you speechless. His other hand stroke your cheek gently, "god, you're so beautiful. You make it impossible to resist you." He said loudly, his face moving closer to yours.

The other man took one of the same snacks but with a differently coloured wrapper.

Chishiya looked behind him, seeing that the man was gone, he said, "don't worry. I was just trying to avoid suspicion. Wouldn't want the other player to think we're onto something."

"Well, what is it that we're onto?"

Chishiya crossed his arms in front of his body, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly, "I know who the Jack of Hearts is."

Ippei was eliminated at the end of the round. But not because Chishiya told him a wrong symbol. He's always been truthful to him. In fact, he hasn't lied even once during this game.

6 players left

Ippei couldn't handle the pressure and cruelty of this game any longer. "You were too kind for this world, Ippei." Chishiya whispered as he stood in front of the cell that held Ippei's deceased body.

"Guess I lost my partner. I'm fucked."

You didn't trust a single person that was still in the game. The entirety of Urumi's group was already gone. And now Ippei.

You found Chishiya sitting on a table, staring into space, seeming lost in thoughts. "So tell me, who's the Jack of Hearts?" You asked him quietly.

Chishiya looked at you. "This will be the last round before we know for certain."

"Yeah well, I might not make it through this round." Chishiya jumped off the table and walked behind you. He gently brushed the hair away from the collar. "You're a spade." You thanked him and stepped behind him.

As you were looking at his symbol, a thought passed through your mind. Perhaps Chishiya was the Jack of Hearts. He's been quiet the entire game, relying on one weak ally, who was the only one who seemed genuine and trustworthy. Pretending that he now knew who was the Jack so he would seem important. Forcing you to tell him his symbol because he made you believe that he figured this game out and could clear it within two rounds. He probably even gave you a wrong symbol.

Chishiya noticed your sudden uncertainty. He turned back around and smiled softly, "it's okay if you don't want to give me my symbol. I understand that it's hard to forgive me after what happened at the Beach. I guess I was just holding onto the idea that the two of us could make it out of this game alive and beat that Jack of Hearts. Just promise me one thing. At the end of this round, stay in your cell a little longer. Do so and you will know who the Jack is." He said before walking off.

There’s a war in your head. One voice telling you to let it go, to stop caring before it actually hurts, and another whispering that maybe, just maybe, things can still be okay. They clash, each pulling at your heart in different directions, leaving you stuck in the middle, unsure which one is the right choice.

The hour was almost up. You ran upstairs, the other players were already getting into their cells.

Chishiya had his hand on the handle. "Diamond. You're a diamond." You shouted out of breath.

The faintest hint of a smile flashed across Chishiya's face before he stepped into the cell.

The sound of a collar exploding echoed through the building. It was hard to tell how many collars it were. But you stayed inside the cell.

Soon after, you heard a dirty laugh from the corridor. It scared you a little. But Chishiya was right. The Jack of Hearts had just revealed himself.

5 Players left

You and the three remaining players stepped outside. The Jack's face fell.

And then Chishiya explained everything. How he found out that it was Matsushita all along. How he had a secret agreement with Kotoko Shiga, who had just passed away. The colour of the wrappers represented a symbol each.

The two remaining players wanted to get answers from Matsushita. He would not survive the final round anyway. No one would give him his symbol.

"I wanted to thank you." Chishiya came up behind you. You were currently at the shelves in the kitchen, grabbing some food for the next days. "I understand that I barely know you. Just fragments, really. We've only shared a few conversations. And yet, there’s something about you that pulls me in. Quiet but steady. It makes no sense, how easily I trusted you, how safe I felt in the spaces between your words. It’s unsettling… but somehow, I don’t want it to stop. It's something you rarely come by. Whether in this world or the real one. Despite the things that happened to you, you still showed me kindness. Even though you couldn't be sure I would guarantee your survival. It's hard to find an ally like you."

Your mouth fell open. Chishiya himself was surprised by his words. They just came out like that. It felt like he had no control over them.

"So, are you saying we should team up and stick together?" You grinned.

Chishiya looked at you with the same, emotionless expression on his face. "Perhaps that is what I'm trying to say, yes." 'Sometimes you just have to do something out of character. Something you haven't calculated.' His mind told him.

You grabbed a few more bags of his favourite snack, "well, I'll make sure to bring plenty of your dry ass crackers then." You said, earning the smallest smile from him.