Strategy

I woke to the crackling sound of a megaphone. I had gone to bed in the evening and slept until morning. I felt refreshed. After spending some time planning in bed, the morning walk began. I left my cell and waited in front of the store.

Lie arrived shortly.

"Hello, Rei."

"Hello. Did you sleep well?"

She paused for a moment. It seemed like she was pleased that I had thought to ask.

"Yes, I slept well. You?"

"Me too."

"Good. What are we doing here?"

"I'm going to check out the store. How long have you been here?"

She looked up, trying to remember. "A few weeks, I think."

"If there's a store system, we either earn money or there's a salary. Probably both."

"They give everyone a hundred game coins a month."

"A hundred?"

I examined the prices in the store. Snacks, junk food, basic healthy items. A hundred game coins would never last a month.

"Not enough."

I looked at the letters in the game section. They contained information about upcoming games, but they were extremely expensive. A tablet was mounted on the wall in the corner. I walked up to it.

"What's this?"

"You enter your name and it shows your balance."

I typed in my name. A hundred. I closed it.

Just then, the thug group behind me made some crude remarks. I ignored them. When I returned to Lie, she didn't react either, just kept looking into my eyes. She had understood that ignoring them was the right move.

"You've been here a few weeks. Have you joined any games?"

"I could have, but I chose to skip. The game difficulty had a green color, so I think it was easy mode. I paid a hundred coins to pass on it."

I listened carefully. Games had difficulty levels and could be skipped with money.

"You still have a hundred coins, right?"

"Yes."

"Come on, let's take a walk and observe the surroundings."

"Alright. If I notice anything important, I'll tell you."

I left her and crept along the walls near the cells, listening to conversations. A group had gathered in the eighth cell. Their leader was speaking.

"You all understand the plan? Everyone sends their money to the boss. We'll buy the information on which game is coming next. Then we'll spread rumors about other games. While everyone else is preparing for the wrong games, we'll be training for the real one. They'll waste their time, and we'll be ready."

My eyes widened slightly. I returned to my cell immediately. Time passed quickly.

During the evening walk, I entered the dining hall. I grabbed a few things from the counter and sat down next to Lie.

"Hey."

Lie looked pleased. "Hey. How are you?"

"Fine. I need to talk to you about something important."

She tensed. "What is it?"

"I listened in on one of the cells. A group is pooling money to buy information on the next game. Then they're going to spread rumors about other games to mislead everyone."

Lie's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Keep your voice down."

"Sorry. What do we do now?"

"I have an idea. I need you to give me your cardigan. I'll give you my shirt. We'll swap for a while."

Lie's face twisted in confusion. "What?"

"No ulterior motive. Trust me. It's necessary for the plan."

A deep sigh. "Fine. But if I sense any foul play, I'll kill you."

"Don't worry. Come to my cell during the morning walk. We'll swap clothes."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"You still haven't explained the plan. Why do we need to switch?"

"For anonymity. During the operation, I'll pull the cardigan over my face. I'll take off my shoes too. My face will be hidden, and they'll only be able to tell that I'm male. They might remember that you wore that cardigan, but the difference in build will rule you out. They might suspect a connection, but they won't be able to prove anything. They might question you, but we'll deal with that."

Lie sighed again. "And if it doesn't work?"

"If we execute it properly, it will work. I need one more thing from you. When I head to the store, go to the washroom and scream. Draw everyone's attention there. Then make up an excuse, like you saw a bug, and return to your cell."

"I'm not doing anything until you explain the full plan."

I pulled her into a corner and lowered my voice.

"I already told you what they're planning. The information letters in the store are kept in boxes, each labeled with the type of game. They'll make their move tomorrow morning. They've probably already sent the money. I can't just walk in there. But when you scream, everyone will rush to the washroom. There aren't many cameras here, and they're not actively monitored unless necessary. While everyone's distracted, I'll slip into the store, remove the label from the target box, and replace it with a different one. I'll pocket the original label. The man holding the money will see that the letter is already gone. He'll assume only someone on the inside could have done it. He'll suspect a traitor. The others will accuse him of keeping the money for himself. Chaos will erupt. They won't get the game information, and they won't be able to work together."

Lie listened in silence. "Alright, I understand."

"Is what we're doing right?"

"You have to fight to survive. Besides, they were thugs. Probably not innocent. Will you do it?"

She thought for another moment. Then nodded. "Fine. I'll help."

"Good. We'll meet tomorrow morning."

I returned to my cell and lay down on the bed. I must have fallen asleep while thinking.

I got ready in the morning. The walk began. Lie came to my cell. I took off my shirt, and she took off her cardigan. Her eyes briefly glanced at my body. We swapped.

"The pants are the same, so I don't need to take those off. But I'll remove my shoes and socks."

"Alright. Wait for me near the store, but don't draw attention."

I put on the cardigan. I took off my shoes and socks and hid them under the bed. I pulled the pants down slightly so they looked baggy, hiding my bare feet. I arrived near the cave entrance.

"When I signal, go to the washroom. Scream as loud as you can, then make up an excuse."

Lie hesitated but nodded.

I waited for the right moment. I signaled with my hand. Lie headed toward the washroom. Moments later, a scream echoed through the cave. Every prisoner and guard turned toward the sound. Some ran in that direction. I slipped into the store, removed the label from the target box, and replaced it with another. I pocketed the original label. I rearranged the boxes. I pulled the cardigan over my face and exited, heading toward a secluded corner. I put the cardigan back on properly. Instead of going straight to my cell, I took a detour through another area. Then I finally returned to my cell. The morning walk ended.

Hours passed inside the cell.

During the evening walk, the doors opened. Soon after, shouts erupted from that group.

"You were planning to keep all the money for yourself, weren't you?"

"I'm telling you, someone set us up!"

"Then what about the label in your room? You made a mistake, didn't you?"

"I didn't put it there, someone else did!"

"Who else could it be? No one else knew about it except us! Traitor!"

I listened from a distance. Shoving started, and they moved toward the washroom. The sounds of a brawl echoed. Guards and prisoners rushed toward the commotion.

Time for phase three.

I slipped back into the store. I took the letter from the box. I folded the paper from under my bed into a square and placed it inside the box so it would still look full from a distance. The letter was in my pocket. I snuck out and returned to my cell. Lie was waiting for me.

"Did you see what happened?"

"I heard the fighting."

"The one who collected the money was killed in the washroom. The others were sent to the second layer for violence."

I forced a frown, pretending to be sad. "That's unfortunate. But there's nothing we can do."

"You don't really care, do you?"

"Like I said, we have no choice. If the roles were reversed, they'd enjoy watching us suffer. At least we're not taking pleasure in it."

"They found a label in your cell. You said you were going to swap them, but you hid it in that man's cell instead."

I feigned surprise. "The label was there? Or did someone figure out our plan and target him?"

Lie's gaze hardened. "Don't mess with me, Rei. I helped you. I tried to trust you. I've been betrayed over and over in the past. And you're still lying to me. You didn't tell me the full plan."

I listened in silence.

"I just want you to be honest with me. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone what you did. Even if it brings trouble on me."

I stood up and sat down beside her. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll explain."

Lie's expression softened. She waited for me to speak.

"The plan has several phases." I kept my voice low. "After I got the information, I thought about what I could do with it. I guessed they would act tomorrow morning. Before the leader could buy the letter, I swapped the labels so it would look like it had already been purchased. He would think there was a traitor among them."

Lie listened without a word.

"We swapped clothes to reduce the risk. Even if someone saw me leaving the store, my face was covered, I had no shoes on, and the pants are the same as everyone else's. If they connected the cardigan to you, the physical difference would rule you out. They'd sense a link but couldn't prove anything. I needed a diversion to get inside. That's why I had you scream in the washroom."

"So that scream was..."

"While everyone was focused on you, I removed the label and pocketed it. I rearranged the boxes. The leader must have gone to the store around then. He saw the letter was gone. Only someone on the inside could have done it. That was the first phase."

Lie nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"The second phase started during the evening walk. After hours alone in their cells, their suspicion of each other had festered. When they met up, they couldn't control themselves. The other members thought the leader had lied to keep the money. I had planted the label in his room as proof. When the topic of a traitor came up, someone would suggest searching everyone's rooms. When it was his turn, they found the label."

"They found him guilty."

"Exactly. The third phase followed from that. When they saw the evidence, the others exploded with rage. The leader was the aggressive type—he responded to anger with anger. They headed to the washroom, where there were no cameras. A fight broke out. The noise drew everyone's attention back to the washroom. That's when I went into the store again and took the letter. I left a folded piece of paper in its place so it would still look full from a distance."

Lie looked me in the eyes. "You planned everything."

"Down to the possibility of death. We sabotaged their plan, destroyed their group, and wasted their money. More chaos erupted than I expected, but the result was the same. We got out of it."